


The Hunter and the Fox

by FennyWrites (dracoglacies)



Category: Original Work
Genre: Bondage, Chains, Collars, F/F, Hypnotism, Implied/Referenced Mind Control, Medieval Society, Monster Girl, Nobility, Rape/Non-con Elements, foxgirl
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-02
Updated: 2020-04-30
Packaged: 2021-03-02 01:35:21
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Rape/Non-Con
Chapters: 4
Words: 26,316
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23926996
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/dracoglacies/pseuds/FennyWrites
Summary: Being a decent huntress was great to feed her for a while, until her hometown was in need for a lot of money at once... Forcing Helen to find a more lucrative quest to do... and that's when she saw it, to capture a fox monster girl for a noble that will pay her enough. She grabbed it, not knowing what will happen next to her...
Relationships: Original Female Character/Original Female Character
Kudos: 34





	1. Beginning of the Hunt

Smell of alcohol combined with the aroma of beef and herbs from the pot of stew bubbling away at the back of the tavern filled her nose, tempting Helen to part with the money in her purse. But she shook that temptation away, instead focusing her attention to the inner part of “Dragon’s Tooth”. Just a quick glance showed the reasoning for the name was obvious- a sharp, serrated tooth hung in the back of the tavern, its length around half of a human adult’s height, and just as wide.

_ If the tooth is already that huge, then how big must the dragon be? _

Helen gulped as she walked into the establishment, her head swiveling left and right to give the place a look. Both for trying to find the usual job board, as well as just trying to look at everything. She couldn’t help it, previously she only went to shady establishments such as “Rats’ Nest” and the inner part of this one blew that one out of the water. The floor looked clean, wooden furniture, the way they put the lights to give it a homely feel, then the smell of stew that made her mouth water, the people milling around the tavern that didn’t look like they just got thrown out of the local jail- all of these combined to show that this place had a class. Still crass though, considering the rough grin some of the patrons shoot at her, but at least they didn’t whistle or call out at her to service them.

Just when she thought of that, a rough voice called out to her, “Oi, Miss, this place isn’t for a wee lass like you! It’ll be such a shame if you are killed, hic… that bod is even comparable to some of those Mamono. Maybe I should check if you are one, gyahahahaha!” He ended with a laughter, chugging down the big mug of beer in his hand.

His words grated, but when she almost decided to ignore it, after all she knew how quick things could escalate if she fought- she noticed how quiet the tavern became. She knew that table on the left side near the window with three people almost came to blows, but they sat back down, their eyes flickering towards her before going away again, as if they didn’t want her to notice. Maybe she could ignore it if only that table did this, but she noticed each occupants also watched- well, some she wasn’t certain but most of them weren’t even hiding they were looking at her. Even the receptionist on the back sat back relaxedly, the grin on her face giving her some sort of challenge, like ‘Well, are you going to lie back and accept?’

The same as a lower end tavern then. Seriously, adventurers were all the same in this city. Let some random guy or girl provoke the newcomer, then if they let it be, that person had to be weak. She could bet that some of these people never faced any monsters like she had in the past. Sauntering forward, she let her magic leak from her arms, the crackle of lightning loud in the silence. Even the rude guy’s jaw dropped, his eyes staring at her as if she just grew a second head. “Alright, mind saying that again? I was too far and can’t listen clearly.” She murmured, just standing relaxedly in front of him. No need to pull out her bow or knife for this guy, after all he was just a sheep thrown by the wolves in this place.

But he shook off the shock quite fast, grinning wildly, he put down the mug and stood up- and up. He towered above her, the wide smile on his face promising pain. “Damn, I like feisty girl you know? If you stop now perhaps I’ll be gentler…”

He didn’t do much except standing there, but Helen knew she fucked up. Now she understood the whole reason they went silent, why they looked at her and what she would do. Decisions warred within her as the electricity on her arms continued to spark, silence stretching between the two of them. Perhaps she should have said something, anything to break the unnerving atmosphere between the two of them. Maybe she could launch the gathered power in her arms. Or pull out her knife. But she couldn’t shake that feeling that if she did that, her mistakes would grow bigger than what it was currently.

A sharp clap pierced through, making both of them jolt as they turned to the source- the receptionist. “Alright, that’s enough, boyo. Had enough fun yet, Karl the Demonslayer?” Even though she was smiling, cold filled that sentence.

Then the sentence she said parsed through her mind.

She looked back to him, finally really taking note of his appearance. Bald, red eyes, and intricate metal armor that looked to be lighter than what it should be. The huge hammer slung on his back with a symbol of a broken skull… “I-I apologize sir!” The words escaped her mouth before she could even think of it, bowing down as quickly as possible as she dispelled her magic.

Instead of doing the sort of thing she expected him to do, he laughed, a roaring sort that was loud and boisterous- reminding Helen of her hometown, slightly. The old men there always have the same laugh. “It’s okay. I like your spunk, that won’t be denied. So for all the trouble I caused you and the Missus there… hm…” He went silent while giving the other patrons a look.

Some looked away, either out of respect or they had no desire to be pulled into this. But some grinned and immediately shouted, “Buy ‘em some booze man! You have the coins!” That suggestion seemed to take hold, some people immediately shouting their agreement as they let out a drunken grin.

“Hah! Too true, too true. Alright then, put it in my tab Arya!” Karl shouted, and as if a switch had been flipped, everyone started chattering once more- the previous silence all forgotten. “Now just continue on with what you wanted to do, lassie. Sorry for that, you are just too cute!”

She wanted to reply against that sharply, but that aura and his reputation… well, easy choice. “Thank you sir.” She said, bowing slightly before walking quickly to the receptionist, refusing any offers from the other tables. Seemed that her stunt warmed her to them- or maybe as what the legendary Demonslayer said, she was just ‘cute’. She hated that, but she kept it in her thoughts, refusing to let it show as she finally arrived in front of the receptionist.

This close, the first thing Helen noticed was that purple eyes- very unusual. Arya gave her a small smile as she prepared a mug, her hands moving quickly to fill it with beer. “Sorry, you seemed pretty decent so I goad you without thinking.” She murmured apologetically, giving her a bow. Not too deep but Helen couldn’t help but back off slightly.

She was uncertain how she felt for this girl but- not much choice with that kind of show. “Um… it’s alright. I didn’t mind it too much.” Accepting the tankard from Arya, she barely gave it a look before chugging it down, figuring that it wouldn’t be anything good since it was paid by another. Even if the guy was one of the Hero known in the land. She immediately regretted it, the taste was above and beyond any she expected. Well-balanced, fruity and dry, with the slightest aroma of the forest… Far better than anything she ever tasted before. “Woa… how much for this mug?” She asked, immediately putting it down to the counter. “I don’t think I have enough to cover whatever’s left…”  _ And if I did, I’d rather use it for something else instead of a good alcohol. _

But Arya just laughed at that question, waving her off. “It’s fine, it’s fine. Think of it as a joint pay of him and I since y’know, I pushed you to that situation and all. Nonetheless, welcome to Dragon’s Tooth! Hope this doesn't put you off coming here again, we have the best food and drinks in Forfense after all.”

One of her eyebrows rose slightly hearing that, quite the lofty claim after all, considering this place was in the lower area instead of shopping or even the fancy place up above.

Arya seemed to understand her doubt though, giving her a pout as she answered Helen’s unspoken question, “Fine, best if you don’t compare it to those schmancy-fancy pants of those cooks for nobles. They are unfair anyway, having all sorts of magical beasts’ meat to use, not to count their fresh vegetables… anyone can cook good stuff with those, anyone! But me? Uuurgh. Anyway, enough about me. What pushes you to come to my beloved tavern?”

That reminded her of her original intention. She had relaxed a bit too much… Drinking the rest of the beer, she put the tankard down. “Thanks for it, but do you mind showing me where the job board is? Kinda in need of money, you see…” A bit of a hurry too, otherwise she would never set foot here. Even with all the rough people in Rats’ Nest, she had made her own reputation there, and Dragons’ Tooth was just full of unknown except for the fact that they were pretty upscale and far, far better rewards. Rats’ board was mostly the request of the people in the slums after all. They couldn’t pay well, but Helen didn’t mind. As long as she gathered enough for her family, she was okay with it.

“Oooooh, a job. Alright, just there on the left, a pillar on its right.”

Helen looked towards where Arya pointed and there it was. The fabled job board. Relieved, she thanked Arya before walking there, ignoring the other patrons. She could talk with them after, for now she had to find a good job.

A guy was already staring at the board, as if pondering which one to pick. Giving him a nod as she joined him in standing in front of it, she started to give each one a quick look.

_ Escort mission, good money but I don’t think my ability is well suited for that… _

_ Killing a huge monster- oh boy, for Platinum and up and a group at that? Nevermind. _

_ Gathering herbs and huge monetary reward? Wait, I know the one they are asking… can’t be uprooted for too long or it will lose its magical effect, which will be useless for anyone. Not even good for fertilizer or feed. Yeah, nope. _

_ Catching a Fox Mamono, nice money but wow, first time I see a normal work that asks for the adventurer to be female. Sounds fishy. _

_ Guarding the Sheeple herd until full moon. Not a bad price too… _

But before she could even touch the paper, the adventurer next to her grabbed it, immediately walking back to Arya with a happy smile. All Helen could do was sigh as she looked back to the board, but nothing else caught her eye. She needed quite a sum and fast. None seemed to fulfill her needs except…

Her eyes slid back to the capturing mission, slowly, she gave it a read, being careful to read through the description.

_ Requester: The Head of Armmere Family _

_ Description: Capture the Fox Mamono that has been sighted in the Winterdeer Forest. Must be alive. _

_ Qualification: Must be female. _

_ Reward: 10,000 Mels. _

That amount would cover what she needed and a lot of leftovers. The mission would also be one of her expertise… Slowly, she grabbed the paper and walked towards Arya, this had to be too good to be true. “Well uh… so this one…”

Arya blinked, looked up at her before looking back down. “I thought you'd pick something else but this one… what’s your rank again?”

Uncertain since the paper didn’t say anything about any sort of rank limit, Helen still took out the item that denoted that she was a part of the Adventurer Guild and not just some random people off the street. Granted, Arya had to check this anyway, but her question was a bit suspicious. The thing she took out was just a thin metal with a certain special magic imbued in it. Helen had no idea how it really works, but Arya tapped her own card with it. Nothing happened, as it should be. If one of the cards was fake, there would be a warning bell. It was rare, but sometimes people tried to pretend to be higher or lower ranked than they actually were. Nonetheless, Arya seemed satisfied and put away her card. “All good, I was just checking since you are new here and all.”

“Well… before accepting, I just want to ask if this is truly it? Like it sounds a bit too high…” Helen asked, still suspicious of the request even if she wanted it to be truly real. Catching a Mamono shouldn’t be too different compared to beasts, and she had some experiences there.

“Well, that’s because…” For the first time, Helen could see Arya seemed a little awkward, as if she was pondering if she should tell or not. But before Helen could voice her thoughts and push it one way or another, she spoke, “Just meet her tomorrow. Rest assured that Armmere can pay it, alright?”

A bit… too suspicious. Yes, Dragons’ Tooth had a good reputation with their requests, and the Armmere family was one of those nobles living in the upper space. They could pay. But still… Too much reward for a simple request really needs her to be cautious.

But before she could refuse, a sudden, huge shadow fell on top of them both. Looking back, she craned her head up and it was the guy from before. Karl. The hero of the land. The Demonslayer. Various other titles. “Saw your face falling from over there, Arya. What did this lassie do?” This time Helen could feel it, the pressure that came off Karl was heavy- much more than before.

“Nothing, nothing. You know how Armmere’s request is…”

“That.”

“Yes, that.”

“Urgh… Okay.” Turning around to her, Karl’s face was unreadable as he patted Helen’s shoulder. “I see that you find this request too hard for you.”

_ What. _

“You can turn it down of course, but… I thought you have spunk, lassie. I thought you are good at this… You have silver too. Man, a silver and refusing this request? You are just aiming for safe stuff, aren’t you? Well, I understand that. I mean you are a girl and all-”

_ Okay, that’s it. I don’t care what he is but that’s too much. _

“Fine. I’ll go meet her and I’ll finish this request and I’ll show you that you shouldn’t underestimate  _ girls _ .” She growled out, giving him a glare.

Karl had the gall to grin as he leaned towards the counter with a smug look. “Okay then, make me swallow my words, lassie. I’ll even be generous and say that even if you fail the request, it’s fiiiine. At least you still do it. So, good luck!”

“Okay, just remember that!” She angrily shouted, turning back to walk out of the tavern.

Yes, she had been goaded to take a mission she didn’t want to grab, but in the end she did it. So she would do her best, and she would show that damned ‘hero’ that he was wrong.

Tomorrow she will go meet this noble.

* * *

The next day arrived too fast for Helen’s taste, the sun just rose and she already started to walk up the road towards the noble’s area. As always, the road was mostly filled with servants going down and back up from the middle class area where the merchants had made their territory. Some people might have said it was too early, but obviously the servants had to be earlier than their masters. Helen’s heart went out for them- even though she did wake up early today, it was mainly because she couldn’t get any sleep at all. Meanwhile these people had to be early.

Rechecking her repertoire, she took note that her leather armor still gleamed after yesterday’s polish, her bow slung on her back, and her trusty knife strapped in its sheath on her hips. Hidden beneath her armor, but still easy to be pulled out when she wanted to.

Before long, she arrived in front of the gate. Eight soldiers stood in front of the gate, each of them wearing steel armor with a spear gripped within their hand. Helen’s mouth curled down. Even the four entrances to Forfense was only filled with six soldiers on each of them, and only four stood guard to the merchant areas. Nonetheless, Helen didn’t voice out the unfairness, just slipping to the queue that had formed in front of six of the soldiers. Two just stood in front of a huge gate, probably special for the nobles.

The servants talked with one another, but Helen tuned them out, her thoughts running back to what happened yesterday. She really didn’t handle everything well, going in like a country bumpkin, which even though she really was one, not something she should flaunt like that. Then she picked a fight and if she said that she did it because of the receptionist, she knew her parents would beat her up.

_ Never blame others for your own mistake. Own up and do your best to make up for it if you feel you did something wrong. _

She believed, and so she could only accept that she had been stupid and just strive to be better. At least once she had decided on that course, she arrived in front of the soldier at the same time.

“ID and reasons please.” The man said gruffly, even though Helen could see how young he looked beneath the helmet.

Still, she handed the request paper and her own silver card. The man grunted and quickly checked- his eyebrows rising slightly when he read the request. “Never saw your face here, do you know where Armmere's place is?”

A temptation to say she knew rose within her, but she quickly pushed that feeling away. Lying here would be stupid and made no sense to boot. “No, can you tell me where…?”

The man sighed as he gave the paper and metal back, which she pocketed quickly. Losing any of these would be disastrous. “Once you are through the gate, turn right, then just go forward. It’s the last house.”

Murmuring her thanks, she followed the directions but her eyes gazed at the houses- nay, it was better to call them ‘mansions’. Each of them were a sprawling sort of buildings, main building, wings, then arches and various decorative items like statues and fountains… But the main things everyone had were a huge building with an even bigger garden. Each set of buildings she went through were more beautiful than the last, each one aiming to catch her eye, and even just walking through the outside showed how busy the inside was. Gardeners, maids, butlers and who knew what else worked busily to keep the mansion in good order.

Perhaps her expectation had climbed from seeing those, but when her gaze fell onto the supposed house, all Helen could think was,  _ This is it? _

The house looked tiny, with another, smaller building attached to it as well as a garden surrounding both of those. Although after the lavish gardens she had seen… sighing, she still gave it a look. The ornate fences glowed from the sun’s reflections, and within the house, she saw a lot of workers. Slowly, her eyes slid back to the front gate, and the two tough-looking guards standing in front of them.

A brief flare of uncomfort passed through her but Helen pressed on, determined to at least see if she would be accepted by the noble. Getting through the guards were uncomfortably easy- just show them her adventurer card and the request off Dragon’s Tooth and at once their mannerism changed.

Before, they let loose a laugh, all the while looking at her with derision and even snorted. Murmuring words they thought she couldn’t hear, but she barely managed to… and wished she didn’t. If Karl yesterday made her blood boil, these two send rage burning through her veins. But she couldn’t do anything much beyond smiling and shoving her credentials and that she had a reason to go in. So even if they didn’t want to, they gave her a nod of respect while opening the gate.

What happened next was quick, she got ushered towards a parlor with a warm cup of tea put in front of her. While the room itself was small, it was still decked with plush carpet, and the only furniture within were two sofas, a fancy table and a bookshelf sparsely filled with hardcovers.

As Helen fidgeted nervously in the room, uncertain how long she would need to wait. Especially considering the fact that the other party was a noble and she was a lowly peasant. Maybe if she had a huge reputation like Karl she could relax. Although just remembering that guy made the corner of her mouth curl as she angrily gritted her teeth. She really had to do her best here, make the noble trust she could do it and all. Shouldn’t be too hard, perhaps. People already said she gave the look of being a competent hunter even with her gender. Maybe she should start thinking about the problem with the request, that was why she asked to meet instead of just asking for approval after all.

“I apologize for taking so long.” A not-familiar voice called out, the door opening smoothly and all Helen could do was staring at the sight of the noble. Flowing blonde hair that reached her waist, doe green eyes, plump, rounded cheeks that fit the shape of her face… Then her dress, while looked casual, seemed to be silky to the touch, with frills and some jewelries adorning the fabric.

_ So… she’s the Head, huh? _

Usually, the preferred gender for heir would be male. It was just a natural thing. After all, the family probably preferred to marry off their daughter to someone else with higher standing, while their son wouldn’t leave. With that in mind, it made the fact a woman becoming a Head a rare occurrence- pretty much unheard of beyond a failing nobility. But even if the Armmere’s place was smaller than any other place, the servants seemed to look happy and worked hard. She definitely didn’t see any dust while walking.

She let loose a coughing sound, bringing Helen’s attention back with a flush on her cheeks. Bowing slightly, she stood up while offering her hand, “A-Ah, I apologize, Lady Armmere…” Helen murmured.

Grasping the offered hand, the noble let loose a slight smile. “It’s alright, I hear you came for my request…?” She trailed off slightly, while maneuvering in such a way that both of them sat back down onto the sofa.

“Yes, I’m Helen, my lord.” She replied, giving a little nod. “I hope you don’t mind me asking about the specifications of the request? Just to be certain, you see.” Helen murmured, taking out the request paper and putting it on the table. Yes, she just assumed that the noble would accept her, but being forward like this was all the rage, certainly.

A little peek to Armmere’s face confirmed it, what with Helen seeing a slight lift on the corner of the noble’s mouth. “Helen…” The name rolled easily from the noble before she nodded. “Then ask the question away, dearie.”

Shudder passed through her spine, but she quickly squashed it down. “R-right.” She muttered, trying to grasp back the line of thoughts she had previously. “May I ask why do you want the Mamono captured alive?” She finally decided on that question, even though the more pressing one would be the adventurer that accepted the mission needed to be female.

The noble’s shoulders relaxed as she replied calmly, “It’s because Mamono is currently the trend in the upper crust, you see. Various creatures being shown and owned by each family… While I can buy one off the Menagerie, I heard of this Mamono being gossipped among my servants. A beautiful, graceful fox with nine sleek tails, her furs looking smooth as silk and her golden eyes are so big and captivating…” Armmere’s eyes closed down, a smile spreading across her face.

Hesitantly, Helen gave an affirmative sound. Not the worst reason, admittedly. Following trends huh… the fox probably would be pampered until the trends had passed, where then it would end up being killed or sold to another noble. “O… kay.” She started off, a little hesitant before continuing once the noble snapped out of her reverie, looking back at her with alertness. “I presume that the way to capture her will be up to me?”

“Indeed, there’s no limit. As long as you ensure she’s not murdered or wounded.”

Helen frowned, that second stipulation would be harder. “My lord, what if the fox resisted…?” She had to ask that, even if it would be preferable to capture anything without hurting them, sometimes there was no choice. A few times, she had to sacrifice getting a perfect pelt because the animals decided to continue fighting.

For a brief second, Armmere’s face flickered, distaste on her face before it smoothed out to the smile from before. “... I understand your concern, but try to not do that. After all, showing a wounded Mamono is worse than not having any.”

_ Man this whole thing is getting more annoying by the seconds… _

But Helen had promised Karl and she refused to back down. “Thank you for your generosity, my lord.” She replied with another bow, this time a bit lower than what she did previously. “For my last question, why is the request’s prize that high? A fox Mamono isn’t as dangerous as a dragon’s or some other beasts like a basilisk after all.” Well, the reward would be too low if it was the examples she just sprouted.

Instead of being offended, Armmere nodded, her eyes seemed to finally really look at Helen now. “I understand your concern, but with the stipulation I asked, I feel it’s a fair reward.” The noble stopped there, but it seemed doubt showed across her face since Armmere continued, the smile on her face spreading a bit wider. “I’ll even pay a thousand Mels now, this is how much I value that fox to be captured.”

Perhaps Helen should think it over, after all, any easy money was always suspicious. But that amount of Mels combined with the rest of the prize once she got her hand on that fox… Well, even if it was too risky she would accept it. It wasn’t only for herself, but for her family as well. Not much choice, to be honest. “Alright, I accept this request of yours… Hold tight, Baroness Armmere, I’ll bring her to your presence as soon as possible.”

“I look forward to the good result, Helen dear.”

* * *

“Thank you for using Golden Feather’s service, we hope to see you again!” The cheerful voice of the receptionist rang out as Helen walked out of the building, back to the bustle of the city.

So many people walking around, each of them having their own reasons. But most of them were smiling, talking, milling around and jealousy flared within her for a bit. Wrong of her to do so, but she couldn’t help it. She had just sent half of the down payment Armmere gave her, all in the hope that would be enough to stave off the situation back in her home village. Hopefully the money would be useful for food or whatever they needed to fend off the pest attacks. Crop failure would be disastrous, considering the reaping time was creeping ever closer. If a failure happened now… she didn’t want to think about it.

For now she just had to focus on her work though, to capture that fox Mamono. Weaving through the crowds, Helen walked past most of the stores. They were the stores focused to sell merchandise to adventurers, so some sold various potions and raw ingredients, some selling equipment, there were even those that sold solid food that would still be safe to be eaten even if weeks had passed. But those on the main roads were all general stores, yes, they might have some specialization but not as much as she needed. If Helen walked into one of the equipment stores for example, she probably could only find a few types of traps like bear and coil traps and perhaps some basic lure. Useful if she was catching normal animals but this time it was Mamono, and the requester wanted her to catch her without any wounds if possible.

Helen clucked her tongue, that stipulation would be the hardest part, and the whole reason she was walking to a specialized store. Turning right into a smaller, practically deserted gang, she stopped in front of a door, the only thing that showed it was a store was a sign with ‘Snare ‘n Share’ written on it being hung above. Lifting her hand, Helen knocked as hard as possible before walking in, the bell jingling with a clear sound the moment the door was opened.

Inside, the store was immediately divided into different sections. Lures, traps, chains and collars, cages… all of them were shown with multiple varieties. Even so, the ones shown here only had one size, good for small beasts like a fox. The bigger ones were kept on the back. "Oi, old man I'm back!" She called out, walking deeper.

"Who are you calling old- oh, Helen! Here to replenish your lures? I just got a new brand the other day so you probably can get a special discount for your usual. The other hunters are getting all huffy on me to get more of this new brand so..." Behind the counter, there stood a thin man with balding white hair, and he was pretty much the store’s owner. To be honest, he differed from most other merchants Helen knew, with how kind he was with potential customers, even those that looked like they didn’t have money. But he always moved silently and it was easy to lose track of him… a bit suspicious if she thought about it.

Shaking her head, she dispelled those thoughts, instead of focusing on now. Bad habit of hers, really. "Nah, today I'm here for a different order. You see…" Walking closer, Helen started to explain the events in the tavern and the mission she had accepted. "... And that's how it is. Uh… mind helping?" She murmured in the end, reluctant to voicing it out loudly. It felt too much like showing her weakness even if that was needed.

A jolt seemed to run through the shopkeeper’s body as he leaned forward, a frown on his face. “Right… I’m giving you this warning since you are always a good client to me, but you know, no one ever managed to do that request you are taking. I’ve seen multiple hunters, all of them with good skills but still failing. Are you sure about doing this?” Concern tinged his words, and while she felt like he was underestimating her, it was understandable.

Grinning in answer, she thumped her chest lightly, puffing it forward. “Of course! You know that I have hunted a lot of things. I even got some of the big games, y’know?” Admittedly, those big games were a group effort, but he didn’t need to know that. It wasn’t wrong of her to say that she had a lot of experience either, she had hunted in the forest near her home village and here since her childhood. At first just alone, with her trying to use slingshots before she finally was seen by a hunter in the village that figured he should teach her.

But her answer didn’t get rid of the frown on the shopkeeper's face, it even started to change to a troubled look. “... I don’t know what happened to them, but something tells me the fox isn’t as easy as what you are feeling, Helen.” His voice was soft, full of worry and concern that Helen knew that if this was for anything else, she would have listened.

Slowly, she shook her head before looking straight to his eyes, showing him her determination. “I’ll be fine.”

They looked at each other for a while, staring, trying to make the other back off. But Helen had decided her course of action, and so she kept her gaze, not blinking or averting her eyes. In the end, the shopkeeper did that first, a sigh out of his mouth. “Alright, alright. Tell me your budget then.”

A grin spread across her face as she pumped her fist, glad that he finally acquiesced to her demands. “Glad you see my way, and it’ll be around… five hundred Mels. I hope that won’t be a problem?”

Another sigh, but he shrugged while walking towards the collar and chain area. “Quite the conundrum, but at least you can get the magic nullification set. Well not exactly nulling but… that’s the only thing you can get for the low, low price of three hundred ninety nine Mels. This price is even special for you!”

The one he pulled out looked like a solid choice in her eyes. A thick leather band with some ropes added in. “This collar will get bigger as you pull it, although of course it has a maximum size… but the main thing you need to know is that after the fox’s head went through the band, it will tighten automatically and will only release her if you want it to be. The ropes are well…” He shrugged. “Use it however you want, it has the same properties as the collar. So use all of them together to ensure it’s effective.”

While she accepted the collar easily, she eyed the rope doubtfully, uncertain if they would be able to withstand it if the fox decided to bite on them or just use its strength to break it off…

“It’s stronger than it looks, albeit not as strong as these reinforced steel chains…” He murmured, his hand picking up the steel chain on the table, making them rattle before letting it fall again. “But that one would bump the price to nine hundred ninety nine and I don’t think you have that amount of money.”

Yep, not happening. With a heavy heart, she picked the rope and put it with the collar, attached to her pants. That should ensure she always has them near her and wouldn’t be caught unaware. “Alright, thank you for the help. Will tell you how it goes… after I buy some things I need to prepare for a week or more of camping in the forest. Won’t be hard to hunt but you know, just in case.”

“Understandable. Good luck in your endeavor.” The shopkeeper smiled before continuing, “After all, I need you to buy the rest of the lures.”

“Heh, gotcha boss!” She answered with a grin as she paid the money. Soon she would finally start this hunt, and she would show everyone that doubted her that she was better than they thought she was.


	2. Tracking, the Fight and the Realization

The murmur of the water in the river was a constant sound, joined occasionally with birds chirping and the loud croak of frogs. Smells of fresh water and greeneries were another constant, one that she could push away from her thoughts as she pulled the string of her bow back, the magic arrow nocked and ready with a faint glow. She was aiming for the bird resting on the branch a few meters away from her. A tiny one, perhaps only enough for eating once, or if she pushed it, twice.

A few times, Helen could let loose her arrow and maybe get the bird. That small avian with black and brown plumage, its black eyes gazing somewhere. But that was just a ‘maybe’, not a certainty. So she calmed her breath, ensuring she barely moved as she kept the string taut. The bird moved a few more times, as if wondering if it should like to fly down and catch a few meals. But it didn’t fly down, just staying on that branch… It spread its’ wings-

Her arrow flew straight and true towards the bird. For a moment, the bird stayed on the branch, not flying, not falling down. Helen stopped breathing, she was sure she hit the bird’s head but without any marks, it was hard to be certain. Then the bird toppled and she relaxed her tense body, immediately walking forward to grab the dead bird before any other carnivores decided her prey was theirs to grab.

They probably wouldn’t though, the last time a fox- different one, not the one she was hunting, tried to steal her prey… well, she had shown why it shouldn’t get close. She also gained another day of ration on the process so it was pretty good. Too bad the rest of the hunting animals decided to give her a wide berth after though… made it a bit hard to get some meat for her next meal, but at least it meant she had no worries to fight with anyone for the food.

Once Helen had grabbed the bird, she moved to the right, back to the river. One bright side of using a magic arrow was how the corpse stayed intact, ensuring no blood was spilled since that would attract a strong predator, or in the worst case, a magical beast. She could fight one but… she let out a soft sigh. It wouldn’t be an easy fight, and considering she was in the forest for catching another thing… Yeah, no need to increase her difficulty.

When she arrived near the river, she started to prepare the bird for the eventual roasting later. First, it was time to pluck the feathers, an action she had done so many times that she could just do it mechanically, her mind drifting towards other things.

Today marked the seventh day she was exploring this forest, trying to find any trace of the Mamono. So far, the only ones she had found were normal foxes, or just any other animals. One time, she saw deer’s hoof steps but she didn’t think it was the Winterdeer’s considering the season. Maybe a wild deer coming off the grassland into this forest to get some more meals.

When her hand felt like it was only grasping bird skin, Helen looked back down and noticed that it was finally bare. Grinning, she pulled out her dagger and started to cut the bird- from cutting off the parts with very few meats, then to pulling out the innards as well as the crop, the semi-digested food within the bird’s chest cavity. Those were things she had no need for and better to just throw them and let the river take care of the rest. Including cleaning the excess blood and tissue off the carcass.

“Alright, time for cooking this-” Helen jerked, immediately giving a look around the forest. It was silent, the only noise was only her own breathing and the gurgle of the river. She gripped her dagger a bit tighter, suspicious that there was something around, something so dangerous that its mere existence was able to make preys flee the vicinity.

But moments passed, and nothing seemed to happen. No rustle, no animal sounds- just one moment of silence then the forest being loud again, as if nothing had happened. But Helen was certain that something had- so reluctantly, she took back the bird meat and walked forward. Just following the riverbank until she felt she was far enough from where she had hunted the bird and cutting the carcass up. It should be safe, but even here, there was that uncertainty brewing once more in her mind.

Fire didn’t help her feelings. The smell of roasted bird, always, always sending her stomach to rumble in hunger and making her mouth salivate- also didn’t help. They were just a moment’s distraction, and not even the taste of freshly-killed bird helped to take that sense of unease swirling within her guts.

In this situation, perhaps she should just continue onwards. Bury the bones, kill the fire and continue her trek. But the sun had set and she didn’t think she would fare well during the night. Reluctantly, she left the fire to crackle, feeding a few more sticks into it so it wouldn’t die anytime soon… then leaned towards a tree, preparing to hopefully get a few winks of sleep before the sun would rise again.

That night, her rest was uneasy, her dreams plagued with some sort of nightmare that always watched… but never showed itself.

* * *

Ever since Helen had woken up, she had spent her time checking around the camp. Not too far off, just around ten steps away or so but she inspected everything carefully. The slightly damp earth and rocks covered with moss and other types of vegetations. All of them inedible for humans like her though unfortunately. Then she looked up, to see if anything was perching on the trees or not. Unfortunately, the answer stayed firmly on ‘nothing’.

None on the grounds, like rodents, other small mammals or even snakes. The treetop too was bare except for the leaves and branches themselves, no birds showing themselves to her… even though just yesterday she had seen multiple flying around and singing so loudly. But now the only sound she could hear was the roar of the river next to her, no other voices joining in the lone, but constant drone.

She frowned, tapping her hips uncertainly as she continued to walk around where she had searched. Just to look again, to ensure that she hadn’t looked wrong. But the more she did it, the more certain that she hadn’t inspected wrong- there truly was no animals around her. Some signs that there had been a den, a bird’s nest on another tree… but the animal owner of those habitations weren’t there, only leaving an empty living place. The places weren’t abandoned a long time ago either, with one of the dens she had found had a pile of seeds and nuts, fresh ones. No rodents she had learned about would leave a food trove like that alone.

Right, she should just move forward since it was morning now, just as she planned yesterday. Taking care to ensure she had no stray embers in her campfire yesterday, she checked that the buried bones were undisturbed as well. Once she finished all of that, she checked her own equipment- bow, dagger and the items she had bought to capture the Mamono. All of them seemed to be in order so without any reason to delay her walk any further, Helen continued the trek deeper into the forest.

But even though she did that, she stuck close to the river, refusing to stray too far. A constant source of fresh water was always important, even more so when she couldn’t be sure of when the next rain would fall. It could be in an hour, tomorrow, next week, no one knew. Not helped with the fact she also wouldn’t know how long and how strong it would be. So even if a rain started, it might not help at all.

Time passed, the sun slowly rising up to its zenith and the unsettling feeling she felt from yesterday still stuck around. The more she walked, the more the emptiness she could feel around her seemed to drag on. Even a constant drone from the river, the one she took comfort from started to grate when it was the only noise she could hear. Just the roar of water continuously filling her ears, with the occasional rustle of leaves from wind breezing through.

Just two of the same sounds over and over again… maybe she should try to tune out the river’s noise but it refused to stay the same- the same as the winds. So she just had to get used to them, focusing on the other sensations like the coolness from the wind and how the forest felt humid against her skin.

She didn’t know how long she had walked, just that the sun had lowered slightly from the top position, perhaps around halfway down. Soon it would be time for her to camp once more, this time eating her rations instead of hunting a prey since she hadn’t seen anything. Seriously, her gaze didn’t fall onto any single animal, just the occasional insects that scuttled around. Perhaps those weren’t affected by whatever drove the animals away from her…

Looking to the side, she could see how dark the forest was. The trees within the deeper part had grown tall and with their thick foliage, they prevented sunlight from reaching the ground below. Not the most welcoming of places as always, but it was probably time for her to go deeper, to finally let go of the river she had been sticking with. Reluctance still coiled in her guts even though she still looked, temptation pulling at her to finally pull the trigger.

As the sun lowered… Helen bit her lip, uncertainty still flickering through her heart before she finally decided to walk into it. Her surroundings turned dark, the foliage above dense enough to prevent the sunlight- there were only a few places she could see where the sunlight managed to pierce through.

Slowly but surely, the river’s sound receded away, exchanged by the still forest- no, it wasn’t like the silence she had before. From afar, there were now sounds of birds singing and the rustling of animals going through bushes without caring if a prey heard their movement. But those were still far away from her, and so she decided not to move closer and instead stayed within the emptiness, to try and see if she could find the culprit.

Definitely not easy, and the setting sun didn’t help her to see and find anything. She was about to give up and see if she could try again tomorrow morning when she saw them. Pawprints, just a few of them but completely clear on the soil. Carefully, Helen knelt down, feeling glad that the thick forest prevented these to be hidden under the grasses. Maybe she missed some next to the river because of that? Probable but no use to ponder about it now.

Leaning even closer to the prints, she noticed that it had a pad with four claws, all of them curved inwards. That had to be a fox’s print but… it was bigger than any fox tracks she had seen previously. Not as big as a bear’s for sure, but big enough that she could safely say it was two times larger.

So these tracks were this deep in the forest, and add the fact that it was larger than normal prints THEN add another fact that the animals all had fled from this area… it all pointed out to a Mamono.

A grin slowly spread across Helen’s face, she was sure what it was now. There was no mistake, and so it was time to follow the tracks now. To finally capture and bring that fox back to the noble and get the money in her hands.

“Just you wait… I’ll get you!” She murmured, her mind filled with thoughts of gold that would fall into her hands even as she followed where the tracks pointed.

* * *

Two days had passed since she first saw the marks. She had walked deeper into the forest, the trees changing shape from normal ones into twisted form of something. They still felt like a tree and yet they differed. A difference in such a fundamental level that even if their superficial looks were the same, the inside was different. There was nothing she could do about them except going forward and taking note though, unfortunately. But with that and how at first she was excited that she could find the fox and get the money soon, she got really excited and started to walk deeper- not forgetting to leave some marks so she knew where she was going. But after the sun had set and she took another nap, she could think slightly clearer and finally noticed some things. First, she saw how the marks weren’t far off from one-another, ensuring that she could always follow the tracks wherever the Mamono went. Second, the fox Mamono did something to any of the animals around the tracks. Some were killed, and while she knew she shouldn’t, Helen still took them as her food. But most of the prey were made to run off- the tracks that were left showed that. So the fox wanted her to keep following, and to have enough food… but for what reason, she had no idea.

Gritting her teeth, Helen continued to push forward. This might be just a trap, but that meant she just had to show that it was stupid for a monster like that fox to think it could stand on the same level as humans. She should be fine too, her body was in excellent condition and her magic was humming beneath her skin. After all, without doing any hunting for herself, it ended up with her magic just staying within her, not being used and just continuing to build up. To be honest that also wasn’t a good situation for it, but she didn’t want to use too much just in case she needed her magic… She only had an average amount, so she couldn’t use them frivolously like some magicians she saw in the city. At least the fact she had magic helped her hunting though, turning her from an average hunter into a ‘good’ one. She had seen some Great Hunters during her past jobs and they were amazing. To turn even a herd of magical beasts to do what they wanted and kill just the required amount… She didn’t even come close to their ability.

But that didn’t matter right now, what mattered was the fact she was getting close to the fox. The tracks were getting closer with one another, and the trees started to become sparse, as if they were no longer impeding her progress. Soon she would meet the fox and… how would she defeat it? She had no idea beyond subduing it with the collar and ropes. Other than that, perhaps she could try to knock it out… if she modified the output of her magic arrow, she might be able to do it. Her electricity should be able to help knock it out as well. But this meant she had to be careful, to be able to trick it so it would do what she wanted instead of her doing what it wanted.

Before she could try to think more of her plans, none of the twisted trees were around her anymore, all of them replaced by blades of grass. A field of grass, surrounded by something that was a tree and yet not… and those grasses surrounding a huge slab of stone. But what caught Helen’s attention wasn’t the huge stone but what was standing on top of it. Her mouth opened slightly in surprise as she looked, only able to take note of what it was.

A fox, there was no question about its form. Four legs, with a vulpine head and the two triangle ears sticking above its head, all covered with beautiful, golden furs that looked soft to the touch. But what really pulled her attention was the nine tails it owned, each of them swaying slightly with the breeze flowing in the meadow. Its golden eyes looked at her, not impassively but full of judgment, as if deciding something the moment it saw her here, standing in front of it.

She knew she had to move fast, right now, the moment the fox was just standing on top of the boulder without moving itself. But she could only stand there, as if transfixed with its beauty and the power it held. Yes, this close she could notice that this was no mere normal Mamono- this feeling of magic... she felt as if she was standing next to those magical beast herd hunts she joined, before the beasts were thinned down to a more manageable level.

For a brief moment, she wondered if Karl had known about it- but as a Demonslayer and as the hero known to the land that seemed to be doubtful. So this Mamono had lived here for some time, long enough that there were talks about it in Forfense. Then a noble family took heed of the talk and wanted to get it, probably all thanks to the recent fad of getting Mamono as a pet, something they could own to compare with other nobles.

She shook her head, she knew she could spend forever just thinking and being angry about what was happening- but for now she should focus on this, to do her job and catch the fox. The fox was calm too, full of power and still, unmoving on top of the stones. There were chances for it to attack when she was thinking but it kept still, perhaps thinking that it was so strong that it didn’t need to be wary of her. But she would show that fox what it meant to fight against her. Other hunters failed? Then she would just become the lone victor and she would finally be able to be better.

While the fox stood there, watching her without moving, Helen took her bow. Moving slightly, she went into her normal stance, one she had used to shoot that bird a few days ago. The one she had used to hunt ever since the beginning. She used it because she knew that she couldn’t knock it out with one attack. So instead, she had to ensure she leveled the playing field as much as she could.

The string on her bow followed her fingers as she pulled, pouring her magical power into the empty space between the space of her fingers to her bow. But she didn’t let them rampage, instead she kept her power in tight control, lightning crackling next to her ear, a shaft of pure electricity already formed in that place she had decided. This action wasn’t something she had done before, but instead something she believed right now she could do. Usually, she used a pure magic arrow, which while shaped like an arrow would attack a beast’s internal organs instead of the skins. It would wound the fox but that would be irreversible damage… not to count that if she aimed wrong, a possibility where she hurt the Mamono so badly it would die would arise. To be honest, she didn’t believe she could do that though. Chances were, the previous hunters were better than her and had done so. Instead she focused on the electricity, knowing that anyone or even any creatures hit by it would lose control of their muscles.

Her left hand continued to stay steady as she kept watching, slowly moving the bow to aim towards its body. Another advantage gained from using electricity, a pure magic power arrow would force her to aim at somewhere debilitating, one she still had no idea where she could aim without hurting the fox too much. She breathed once and let go of the grip within her right hand- a clap of thunder and a howl filled her ears, the fox spasming on top of its place. Its ‘throne’, perhaps.

Thinking too long would be fatal in this situation. At once, she immediately made another arrow, loosening it upon the fox. Another clap resounded within her ears but that was when she finally saw it. Nothing stood upon the rocks anymore. “Wh-” She couldn’t even voice her bewilderment as she stepped back unconsciously. The claw that should have reached her didn’t, missing her by mere distance.

This close, the fox’s size showed how small she was in comparison. Its mouth filled with gleaming, white colored fangs. Blood roared in her ears, her left hand already pulling out her dagger, its length filled with her magic. At first she thought she could try to not hurt it but now… no other choice stood in front of her. People said Mamono could be reasoned, but this showed they were just animals. Magical beasts that could pretend to be humans.

Another of its claws swiped forward, it should be so fast that she couldn’t see. But this time she had time to swing her dagger forward, making the metal to meet its flesh- No smell of iron instead all she got was the smell of burnt fur. Another howl, not a pained one but even so, the fox pulled back, jumping and putting distance between them. Its golden eyes peered at her, this time really looking as its nine tails unfurled, fanning behind her.

_ Was it planning to use magic?! _

No, she couldn’t let it do that. Decision came easily as Helen immediately ran forward, pulling the bow on her right hand with her teeth, the lightning arcing dangerously close at her. Her teeth hurt too but she had to believe.

But even as she did that, the fox pounced forward at her, mouth opening as if it wanted to chomp her, claws also coming from both her left and right.

No way to dodge. So Helen just let her arrow loose straight into its mouth, letting go of the strings she had bitten. That broke its momentum, the fox closing its mouth as it jumped back again.

“Hmph, why are all the hunters having problems? You are just a stupid animal even if you are strong.”

Her words rang true, but Helen had no intention to let her guard down. Knock the fox out with her electricity  _ then _ she could relax. But as she pulled the string once more did she realized how she had underestimated the fox’s speed.

Within that second, the fox had swallowed the distance once more.

Fear struck deep. But she pushed through, her teeth on the string once more, pulling it while lighting continued to form. She should have let go of the dagger. But this close- she couldn’t trust she could finish it with the bow.

Paw descended upon her. Fragments of wood filled the air.

But the effect was obvious the moment after. The fox had withdrawn its left foot, and even without another howl- this close, she could see it. How the left foot was shaking even as it kept it away from her.

The electricity hadn’t been effective. Okay, it was on its left foot, but that wouldn’t let her fulfill the request. Not much weapon left except for her dagger now as well. So, transferring the dagger to her right hand, she moved her left hand to her hips. Nothing more to do except one thing.

She kept her dagger facing forward, magic pouring into it while she backed off. Luckily for her, the fox stayed wary, not jumping closer. That let her to continue making her distance and making the thunder to crackle stronger and stronger-

Her hand moved and the dagger flew towards the fox. No sudden sounds of lightning, just a dagger filled with magical electricity.

The fox jumped- no it  _ leapt. _ It didn’t reach ridiculous height, but it was enough to avoid the dagger. All her magic had been depleted for the electricity that crackles within it, but that didn’t matter. Right now, everything felt like it was in slow motion. Helen focused on just pulling out the collar while she held it in front of her. Spreading her hand, the collar followed, stretching and stretching even more, growing bigger straight in front of her eyes.

It was still surprising even though the shopkeeper had told her. Still, her eyes could only watch as the fox’s jump brought itself towards her- towards the collar. First the muzzle went through, then the cheek, the ears and her hand released her hold.

Just before the fox’s head would have slammed towards her, the collar shrunk, fitting itself on the fox’s neck. Then… she could only stare at what happened next.

It froze in front of her. Just a second then- everything changed. The body contracted, turning smaller- then what happened first was that her head changed. It turned into a human’s head with flowing golden hair and a pair of fox’s ears on top. The transformation didn’t stop there, just continuing from her head, neck, body, limbs… and yet, the tails stayed.

Her mouth opened, then she closed it again, uncertain of what she could even say. The fox- wait, the Mamono’s face looked beautiful. The unblemished white skin, just the right amount of blush on her cheeks, those golden eyes perfectly framed- Helen’s breath caught in her throat.

No, she… Helen shook her head, watching the fox carefully. Taking note of how the Mamono was wearing an outfit instead of being naked. It was a type of clothing she only heard before, from far in the East… pink flowers adorned the vibrant purple  _ kimono _ , with a yellow sash tying it together. Her lower side wasn’t fully covered, and Helen’s cheeks flushed with embarrassment as she saw the legs-

“My face is up here, miss Hunter.” Even the fox’s voice was melodious, beautiful and captivating as Helen unwittingly looked up. Back to that face that seemed to keep drawing her attention, even if she still managed to catch how the tail seemed to continuously sway on the fox’s back. “-hello?”

Helen jolted, a little surprised at how close the Mamono had become. What had happened? She heard the voice and then she watched and then… She frowned, the memories blurry, lost in some sort of fog she couldn’t get through. But she knew the memories were still around, it was just as if they couldn’t be grabbed anymore.

“- so, it’s nice to meet you. Can you tell me your name?”

Another blink, and it seemed as if she had skipped forward a few minutes. “… It’s Helen.” She muttered, shaking her head once more to clear the fog that seemed to creep back within her mind. Listening to Mamono kept make her lose attention to what was currently happening as well… Mrrgh, better finish what she needed to do.

Taking out the ropes, she walked closer to the strangely obedient fox. “Are you not going to run off?” She finally asked when they were close enough.

Tilting her head slightly, the Mamono shook her head without taking too long. “Maybe, but I’m not as strong in this form. You’ll capture me easily~” The fox murmured, sidling closer towards her, the golden tails behind her moving languidly.

But she could only stare at the fox in answer with incredulity. What kind of answer was that? Apparently something the fox could accept, considering how she stayed still while Helen moved the hands into position in front of them- trying her best to ignore how smooth the fox’s skin felt. The slight warmth…

No. Instead she just focused on tying the fox. Only need to tie her wrists, ankles and some sort of restriction on her arms. Not too hard, especially when the one tied wouldn't try to fight. She knew how hard it was to tie a wriggling prey because she had to bring them back alive, the animal struggling every which way… really had to fight the animal's strength to even make a good knot so they were tied down properly.

Taking the fox's wrist, Helen tied them together on her back. While doing so, she carefully looped the rope twice before bringing it up and back around the chest.

"You have quite the knowledge for tying, hmm?" The fox said, a smirk growing on her face while saying them in such a way it felt like a tease.

"Nope." She nonchalantly replied, certain in the fact that she was still pretty beginner about it. But for now she managed to loop around the chest a few times before finally tying them securely on the back. "Done for your upper body…"

Hearing that, the fox started to pull and strain against the ropes, intent to give them a workout. Luckily for Helen, the rope was strong and so the fox’s actions barely made them budge before she let up, stopping all the struggles she was doing. "Very good work, miss Hunter." While there was a tinge of disappointment, it was overwhelmingly full of praise. Definitely felt so different.

Kneeling down, Helen prepared to make another knot for the ankles. First to make a double loop, through the ankles while ensuring they were wide enough the fox could still walk comfortably. Not too hard, and once she was done, she put another knot so it wouldn't be easy for anyone to remove it. It wouldn't be easy for herself too after all.

With all that done, she finished tying up the fox. Then she finally unfurled her last ropes, tying the collar with it before she held the rope in her hands. While she still felt unsettled at how much the fox didn’t try to fight, especially after that little bout… She didn’t want to give any chances. Besides, no one she had seen before ever willingly let themselves be bound to be honest. With this one letting her and even talking with her captor amicably, she couldn’t help but get suspicious of her.

Ugh, no. She just had to focus that this whole thing was just a job and she would then get enough money frugally for a long time. At least that money would be enough for her to get a replacement bow and she had no need to buy a new dagger as well- she just had to remember to grab it before leaving.

* * *

“So the soldiers decided they’ll let me go instead of doing anything else once I’ve said that. Such a quick change of tune… Shows how much they can be trusted, really.” The fox, or to use the name she told her, ‘Fujiwara no Yoshika’. Long, regal name that brought about an unsettling possibility, especially remembering that the Far East had very different traditions. Even the naming scheme was the opposite of the usual, if what the fox said was true that Yoshika was her given name with Fujiwara being her family name. Not sure why she was so forthcoming about it, but Helen had no problem getting to know more.

The problem came when words continued to tumble out of the fox’s mouth. How Yoshika continued to speak, to talk about anything from both praises and critiques when they fought, to political things she wasn’t sure how the fox even knew. Sometimes, she even quoted about some heroes from decades past. The things she quoted weren’t even flattering either, saying how cruel the heroes were, how calculating and cold. Of course, she knew that they were still human, and so couldn’t be a paragon of heroism and virtue. But the way Yoshika painted them felt as if they deliberately ensured a way to hurt the magical beasts best, especially the Mamonos.

No, she couldn’t think of that. This fox wasn’t a human, but a Mamono. So from her point of view, that seemed to be what they were doing. That the heroes were torturing them, that they were such a cruel people that they hurt and killed the Mamonos, even the weak and young ones. But from her own knowledge, Mamono themselves were dangerous. Even a child could end up killing a grown man, easily overpowering humans in both strength and magical power. From the ballads she remembered hearing, they were amazing, to be able to win against not one, not two but a whole group of Mamonos… and yet the same virtues lauded by the humans were the ones that were demonized by them.

She really had to stop pondering on this, if someone knew, she could be accused as Mamono lovers and that would destroy her reputation completely. She wasn’t a noble that could play such things off as eccentricity, or even a hero, really. Although she wasn’t sure that being a hero would completely shield her off if the public got a whiff about that. Sometimes, the more famous someone was, the worse they ended up once their reputation was turned around like that. Then there was the fact that even if it wasn’t true, anyone hit with such a reputation had no more place in that city or even country. They would have to move far, so far that no one would know about them anymore… and they had to pray no one from their old place came by. That would be unlucky, but sometimes some people really had misfortunes clinging to them like that.

“Heyy, are you listening to me?” The fox leaned in, her mouth so close to Helen’s that she jolted in surprise, staring at the grinning fox. “It’s not fun talking if the other party wasn’t listening, you know?” The fox continued to talk, keeping her body really, really close to Helen. Even her tail was spreading out, making her look bigger while they slowly curled forward. “Unless you are listening to me, dear?” She murmured, voice soft and husky and sent shivers down her spines.

Blood rushed to Helen’s cheeks, the hunter barely able to push the fox away, including the questing tail that seemed to want to cover her in the fluff.  _ They felt very… soft to the touch... _ She could admit that in her mind, but she would never say it in real life. Never. “O-oi, cut it out.” She muttered, even her voice sounded weak in her ears… There was no way the fox would listen with that.

Indeed, she didn’t. Instead, Yoshika sidled closer, her tails poking and curling around her body, surrounding her with warmth and softness. “Come on, miss Hunter. Let’s have a little fun~” Her tone was insidious, and involuntarily, even Helen relaxed into the tails. With Yoshika leaning closer, so close that she could smell the foxgirl. She had a nice smell, some sort of sweetness that reminded her of a beautiful flower-

_ Wait, I’m supposed to keep her under control, not this kind of… whatever is happening. _

_ But this is so soft. So nice. No worries about anything. _

_ That’s why this is so dangerous! We have to get out of her touch NOW. _

_ I don’t want to though. _

“-ut it’s no fun if you give up this quickly, isn’t it?”

Blearily, Helen blinked slowly. Something had happened between the last thing she remembered and how the tails had let her go now, a part of her thoughts felt like she missed the fluff but certainly it was because she never felt that kind of texture. Something that soft and luxurious feeling was always something she couldn’t afford, only those rich families could even think about touching them, let alone buying. Nonetheless she couldn’t afford to be distracted right now. First she had to stop those chatters...

Standing up a bit straighter, she scowled at Yoshika with a frown, “Alright, stop the chatter now. I have captured you and I prefer that our walk back to be a silent affair.” Indeed, the fox had been a chatterbox since the moment she had tied her and Yoshika hadn’t stopped. Not even for drinking some water.

The fox’s answer was something she expected, but definitely not something she wished. “But why should I? I want to know more about you and shutting up doesn’t seem to be a good way for it.”

“Well  _ I _ don’t want to and I’m the one handling things around here.” Helen scowled even fiercer, trying to do a little intimidation on the fox. “If you don’t shut up, I’ll cut off your tongue.” Just a threat, considering the noble specifically wanted her to not hurt the fox. But she didn’t know that and she wasn’t about to tell.

“Really?” Yoshika smiled with a hint of condescension, her golden eyes gazing at her as if she was just a child doing a temper tantrum. “That’s a bit hard to believe, especially with all these ropes to tie and null my magic. Seems to show that you don’t want to hurt me, hm? Actually, maybe you do want to hurt me but you have an extra reason to not do that… Something like a third party…”

Helen froze, but that was just a moment before she forced herself to relax. No, the fox didn’t know. She was guessing and if Helen froze up and adopted an interrogating stance, the fox would know that her guesses were right. The best thing to do right now is to turn it around and make it as if it wasn’t true at all. “Hmph, or maybe I’m just seeking to get as much money as I can. If you prove yourself to be too much for your worth though…” She let her words trail off, letting the fox to put the words herself. The best denial was not saying something but the other party thought she did and so accepted that assumption without asking more.

Even through that though, the fox continued to stay relaxed, her golden eyes watching her with amusement. “Do it then, miss Hunter. We can even do a little bet with you killing me~ How about it?" The smile turned into a smirk then while she thrusted her body forward slightly. Daring her to do it.

It would be so easy too, her dagger was still there, strapped on her thighs. Just need to pull it out and- Helen gritted her teeth, looking away. "Stop that." She tried again, but this time when the fox opened her mouth, just about to retort back at her. But instead Helen cut in, preventing Yoshika from saying whatever she wanted. "Fine, if you can't shut up then I'll gag you." She snarled out, glaring into Yoshika's eyes, also secure in the knowledge that this was finally the threat she could back.

Which seemed to finally make the fox realize who was holding the power here. With the fox backing off, taking away the constant sweet smell and warmth, Helen could feel her head slightly clearer. “Fiiiine, but only since you asked for it.” Yoshika said, finally ending her stream of chatter and putting back some distance between them. It seemed that the fox had no desire to be that close if she wasn’t talking like before.

Back to walking, and this time Helen could loosen her tense shoulders. For now, she ensured that the rope was still held within her hand, she refused to entertain the possibility of the fox running off. Although even if she managed to do that, with the fact that the fox was collared, tied and had her magic nulled… She probably wouldn’t. But better safe than sorry. Besides, doing this also helped to ensure that she couldn’t get too far so it wasn’t too bad.

It was hours later before Helen finally stopped, the surroundings had gotten too dark for her to soldier on. Even if the moon had risen high into the sky and joined with the twinkling stars, they still weren’t giving enough light for her to see too far away. So reluctantly, she stopped and started to prepare for the camp.

Dry twigs and branches to light up into a fire, and then some ration she had prepared from Forfense, another prey she had hunted while they walked and water. Of course, she gave some of the food to the fox as well even if she was reluctant to do so. While the fox probably could survive without food for a while, she didn’t want to test that. Better do some more hunts while going back than trying to explain to the requester that she hadn’t done her best for capturing the Mamono… yeah no, that seemed to end up with penalties in her rewards and that was the opposite of what she needed.

While eating the bland food, she was glad for the silence the fox was giving. While a slight worry still niggled at the back of her mind, that the fox had some sort of aim while following her orders, as long as she got the result she aimed for then who cared for her means? No one else but herself. Which she didn’t really care for to be honest.

With that said, she walked closer to the fox, she was about to sleep and that meant it was time to check the knots and the rope’s condition. She had checked it every time she remembered, but always good to recheck and ensure things were staying the same.

“So… do you mind telling me why you do this?” The fox’s voice was soft, a slight tilt on her head as she looked at her questioningly.

At first, Helen wanted to sush Yoshika but… she let out a sigh. “Money. The reward for you will be enough for myself and I’ll even be able to send some more to my family back home. It’s my responsibility to do this, especially remembering that I’m the only one that is able to use magic.” The responsibility felt heavy on her, even if she had done it constantly over the years. Sometimes she wished she could stop, but then she remembered the situation in the village and she really couldn’t leave her family alone. She wouldn’t be able to live with herself if something happened and she didn’t help them.

But the most surprising moment was how the fox looked at her sadly the moment she heard Helen’s words. How Yoshika’s tail drooped, the fox getting closer with worry lurking in her eyes, her mouth opening to say something-

That was too much. “Don’t say anything. I have let you speak but there’s no need for it anymore.” She murmured, cutting off any words as she turned away from the fox, immediately walking back to the fire. “I’ll sleep for a bit now, tomorrow we’ll continue our walk.”

This time, the fox gave no reply; just a sad gaze as Helen closed her eyes, trying to push away the look Yoshika was giving her as she slowly let sleep claim her.

* * *

Waking up meant another day of walking through the forest, where Helen was trying to go through the same way she came. Or at least that was the plan before she realized the truth of the situation. At first, the marks were fine, with her older marks easily found and things were mostly straight lines from one mark to another. Before long, things started to change. The order of her marks differed from how it should be, with her finding even older marks before finding a newer one. Then things changed even further, the marks that should be there weren’t and while Helen didn’t want to think about it… there was an unsettling realization growing inside her.

_ No. It’s not possible… isn’t it? _

Looking back to the fox, Yoshika seemed to be relaxed while following her guidance. At least she didn’t have any problems on that front… So back to her first problem. She couldn’t even trust any marks she had found since she had no idea which was which. Looking up to the sky also wouldn’t help considering the trees obscured any views with how thick they were.

Gritting her teeth, Helen chose to continue on- not like she had any other choice. Time passed slowly, and she still couldn’t find her bearing even though she left some new cuts on the tree. From her point of view, it was possible that if old marks didn’t help, then new ones could. Even if she wasn’t certain what she could do if this one didn’t work out.

When the sun no longer shone down to the forest, she finally signaled to stop for the night. Today somehow felt tiring, more than when she fought the fox yesterday… Perhaps because the forest felt hostile against her, and how she still couldn’t find a way to get out. If she could at least reach the river again, things should be working fine but she didn’t see a way and that was frustrating.

Preparing the fire and the meal, Helen let out a sigh, covering her face with her hand. This whole thing felt like a disaster now. Why did she even accept this request? Oh wait, she needed that money. She couldn’t lie and say she wasn’t attracted to those rewards too. Even if Karl didn’t goad her, at the end of it, she knew she would have ended up picking it up.

“So… what kind of jobs have you done for your family? You seem mature enough to have done a lot of things.” The fox suddenly asked, breaking the silence that had permeated between both of them for hours. But Yoshika looked relaxed, as if she wasn’t expecting to get an answer. Instead she just looked towards the crackling fire between the two of them, her tails swaying slightly on her back.

At first, she didn’t want to answer. But as the silence stretched between the two of them, the food didn’t help to distract her mind… Helen sighed, finally opening her mouth, “Various kinds of jobs to be honest. Odd jobs are everywhere and not everyone is willing so… I do them and get compensation for it. Not too shabby and definitely put food on the table.” Stopping there for a bit, she waited to see if the fox would try to press her.

But there was none of those, a sound that sounded like an affirmation while Yoshika gave her a nod. Just one of understanding, even if Helen wasn’t sure how a fox understood that. How could she know the feeling of not wanting to do a job, and yet still did it because she knew her other specialties couldn’t give her enough money in a steady manner.

“I… I’d rather use my other abilities more, to be honest.” She finally continued, looking down towards the fire while pulling her sleeves a little. “Hunting animals or using my electricity to stun and capture them… it’s one of my reasons to do this job too.” She ended, her hand no longer just pulling but instead grabbed her sleeve tightly, bunching and making it even more wrinkled. Forcing herself to relax, she let it go and tried to smoothen it in vain. She knew it wouldn’t work, but she just didn’t want to let it wrinkle too much.

The fox gave another sound of affirmation before finally speaking again, “So you are thinking of me as an animal. I see, very enlightening.” Yoshika’s voice wasn’t angry, it was flat, neutral as if she didn’t care what she was saying at all and that made it even worse.

Slowly, Helen looked up towards the fox. Her wordings were uncomfortably straightforward, but that was what she thought. After all, she didn’t think much about the request to capture Mamono and brought her to the noble. It didn’t matter that Mamono could talk, could be reasonably negotiated with, she even heard some old folk tales where Mamonos ended up protecting humans against magical beasts. Wait, with how she captured Yoshika, with that collar and ropes-

Helen’s eyes widened. Her mind brought back the imagery of humans within those same restraints, and she knew what people called those. ‘Slaves’. She wasn’t sure what it meant that she did the same thing to a Mamono that if one did to a human would mean the humans were enslaved. A property completely owned by their owner. But Mamonos weren’t humans, they couldn’t be slaves then. It didn’t matter if they had their own intelligence, they could talk and reason like any other humans.

“That's-” She tried to start, to deny Yoshika’s words but her voice wouldn’t come out. Guilt churned in her stomach, nausea joining it at once, making the bland food she had eaten threatening itself to surge out; but she suppressed it, trying and barely able to hold it back. “I… I’ll sleep now.” She finally murmured, refusing to look towards Yoshika.

She didn’t want to see the disappointment that had to have formed on the fox’s face. After all, this meant she refused to answer, to think of what she should be thinking of what this current request of hers  _ meant _ .

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading the story, I hope you really enjoy it! If you ever want to contact me, or just want to help me in some shape or form so I can pump out more lewd works, just take a look at my twitter :)
> 
> https://twitter.com/FennyWrites


	3. Accepting the Fox and What It Entails

Helen awoke with tiredness in her bones. Didn’t help that she had a few aches here and there too. Slowly doing her morning routine, she looked towards the fox before biting her lips slightly. Not too hard that it would break skin, but some needling pain helped. The fox didn’t speak, merely smiled and tilted her head at the hunter a bit and that was enough. It reminded Helen of what they talked about yesterday and she knew that she didn't give an answer.

_ Could I afford to continue pushing it off though? _

Her thoughts continued to shuffle around the facts, leaving her uncertain and adding the fact that she knew she still needed to finish the request. Despite the fact she was a silver adventurer, failing a request from a noble, and doing it because she had a flash of morality would have a huge negative consequences and could lead to her falling down to a copper rank. Not counting the possibility that the noble might ask her to refund the money she had given. Oh yes, she said it was just an advance payment so if Helen had failed then she could push her into a debt. She definitely didn’t need that on top of needing money to give to her family.

Glaring at the fox, Helen pondered again over the talk from yesterday’s night. She didn’t want to admit it, but yes, she had treated Yoshika as if she was just an animal. Preventing her from talking, even if Yoshika flaunted it occasionally, but Helen still ordered her to. Even ended up threatening to completely take away her choice if she pushed and continued to talk. Then there was the binding and leading her by the collar- well she did need that for bringing Yoshika back to the city for fulfilling this damned request. But wait, didn’t the fact she would fulfill that meant she thought of her as an animal, or something less than a human because she knew she would refuse it if Yoshika was a human. That felt unsettling to think about.

… No, she could be better. Standing up, she walked towards Yoshika, eyes narrowed with purpose. Once she was close enough, Helen immediately loosen the bindings on Yoshika’s hands and feet. At first her hands trembled slightly while doing so, before steadying as she progressed and finally untied everything except the collar and the body. She probably should release that one too but- she wasn’t sure yet. Only the hands and feet were important anyway. “You better not run off.” She said with a scowl on her face, trying to intimidate the fox even if just a little.

A smirk, because surely that wasn’t a smile, spread across Yoshika’s face as she patted Helen’s shoulder, leaning a bit closer and made her want to tell her off because their distance felt too close. Too intimate, perhaps. “I’m not going to do that, you defeated me fair and square after all.” She murmured softly before backing off again, leaving Helen to finally be able to breathe a bit more comfortably.

She also didn’t really believe in the fox’s words but Helen felt certain she could prevent it if Yoshika tried to run. This time she would even have some sort of excuses too then. By trying to escape after saying she wouldn’t, the fox would show how untrustable she was and that meant she could be excused. Helen ignored the part of her mind saying that if she was in the fox’s shoes, she definitely would try to escape and would say and promise anything if it meant her captor wouldn’t bind her as tightly.

Nonetheless, once they both cleaned up the camp slightly- not much to pack up since she didn’t even erect any tents, they continued their walk again. Hopefully today would be more fruitful than yesterday…

Both of them were still silent, and Helen didn’t mind that. She enjoyed it more than talks but after yesterday and if she wanted to be a bit more progressive, she could let Yoshika be. Just try to talk and perhaps they could have something between them. Or maybe she shouldn’t, she still would end up separating from the fox after all. To get close and then forever unable to talk or even see each other again, that would be one of the most unbearable things ever. So perhaps she wouldn’t try to start it, but this time she wouldn’t try to shut the fox down if she talked. Just be polite and keep some sort of professional distance. That sounds like a plan.

Their walk through the forest also wasn't going well. She hadn’t found any signs she left now and she couldn’t even find the water sound anymore to find the river and started to find her bearings again. No cuts on the trees, no sound from the river to help her orient herself, just the sound of birds chirping and buzzing insects. _ This surely doesn’t mean I’m lost. _ She tried to convince herself and failed. Well, she didn’t need to decide that for now, she still had her supplies even if she had to split it with Yoshika and she had enough water as long as she rationed it… maybe.

“I can guide you out of here, you know? This was my territory after all.” The fox’s smooth voice made Helen nearly jump in surprise as she looked back. Yoshika looked like she was telling the truth, smiling, her tails swishing gently behind her… No reason to not trust her.

Except for the fact she didn’t have any reason to trust her as well. “No.” She refused, not wanting to elaborate it further. But seeing the drooped tail and the soft sigh Yoshika let out, well- she probably knew why.

Afterwards, the atmosphere between them was a bit too awkward to be filled with some sort of talks. Helen felt too tense and worried about what would happen if she didn’t find a way out soon, and Yoshika thought about who knew what. She could see the fox looking at her a few times, some sort of dangerous glint in her eyes. But everytime Helen tried to truly look, Yoshika seemed to be relaxed, just occasionally shooting her a relaxed smile. She probably was just seeing things.

Once night had fallen and both of them were sitting around the fire once more did Helen finally relax a little. The food still tasted as bland as ever, although tonight at least they were taking less of her ration since she had managed to hunt a few prey as they walked. Good, so the only worrying thing would be water supplies…

“Are you feeling better?” The fox started, her voice gaining some sort of a timbre in it. Helen didn’t know what it was, but she liked it.

So she gave a quick nod as an answer, knowing for a fact that she was feeling better now. Helped with her stomach being full and the fire giving warmth throughout her body. “Yes, luckily the weather’s pretty nice today as well…”

“Indeed, it is so nice and warm, isn’t it?” Yoshika’s voice was very agreeable, and the fox  _ was _ agreeing with her. She let out another nod, and there was a slight rustle as Yoshika sidled closer, “Warm weather is the best for relaxing and just taking a rest. You must be tired with all those walking too.”

Another factual sentence Helen could agree on. She did feel tired, and her eyes had started to feel hard to open. It was easier to let it stay closed perhaps, just enveloped in darkness and warmth and the words from Yoshika. Wait, that felt wrong. A frown formed on her face as she tried to think it over-

“Since you are tired, your thoughts feel like it’s getting sluggish, isn’t it?” Yoshika’s voice appeared, making so much sense that Helen couldn’t help but nod. By now, she had let her eyes completely closed, with the fox’s tails completely enveloping her whole body in warmth. “So sluggish and harder to think…”

It was all true. Helen could barely follow the words now, only getting bits and pieces of what slipped out of Yoshika’s mouth. Mainly things like being open and trusting. But it wasn’t long before she couldn’t even follow those, her mind slowly and quietly slipping into slumber. The sleep easily claiming her even as she listened to the soft murmurs and unclear voices continued to be said to her ears.

* * *

Another morning arrived, and all Helen could do was blink at the sunlight poking about in her eyes. Okay, that was a lie. The truth was that the sunlight was bright enough to go through her eyelids and woke her up. A bit weird since the tree should be thick enough to prevent that but she couldn’t argue that it had already happened. At least this time her body felt fine- no aches and tiredness in her bones and after a few stretches, already shook out any stiffness around her joints. “Morning,” she murmured at the already awake fox, yawning a little even though she thought she got enough sleep. Would be nice to get a few more hours to be honest, but she wanted to get out of this forest soon.

Without waiting for a reply, although the fox did give a graceful one back, Helen went to do her usual preparation. Clean the few things they had set up for camp, helped by the fox and then just chomp a little ration to alleviate the need for food until dinner. Things felt different while she did so, the sun’s shine just a little bit off, the tree’s shadow seemed like they were twisting and moving around without regards to where they should be, even the buzzing insects and birds chirping didn’t seem right in her ears. The only one she could see as right was the fox. Her voice sounded the same as yesterday, the same lilt and timbre that made it easy for her to just listen to them, unsure of what was being said.

Today, instead of letting silence fill the atmosphere between the two of them, Helen decided to try finding out more about the fox. That seemed like the right way to pass the time, especially with the fact that she felt her decision yesterday to be a grievous error. Better to know her for a while, however little it was than to just let an experience pass to avoid any possible pain. So she asked the question that had been burning from the moment she saw the Mamono’s transformation. “How did you immediately wear an outfit the moment you… turned into this form?” She pointed out, frowning a bit as she pondered over her own question as the fox hushed. Surely it had to make more sense than it was just how it worked, as told by anyone she ever asked how magic worked and how different it was depending on the people using it.

When Yoshika’s eyes finally turned to her, glinting with mischief as she let out a smirk, Helen felt regret coming up about her decision to ask her then. “Maybe it’s following what you wish to see me in, after all you are the one that put this awful, awful collar on me... Makes me wonder on yourself.”

“Wh-” Helen barely able to splutter, the little comprehension she managed on what Yoshika said grinding her mind to a halt. “I-I didn’t even think you look like this!” She barely squeaked out, her face feeling very hot and probably really red.

As the fox let loose a laugh- very nice ones that Helen thought she wanted to listen again and again, she finally managed to speak a little more. “If you didn’t want to tell me then that’s what you should do instead of playing this- this sort of prankish answer.” A pout accompanied those sentences, while it was all very comedic on the pranker side, she herself didn’t think it was.

Wiping away the slight tears that appeared on her eyes from all the laughter, Yoshika let loose a grin while patting Helen’s back lightly. “Sorry, I can’t help it. Besides I know you can appreciate my looks, right?” She said with a wink, leaning closer to Helen, so close that the hunter could smell the slightly differing scent Yoshika had. Something much wilder, a musky sort of scent that certainly reminded her of an animal instead of a human.

She still answered the fox’s question with a shake of her head though, sighing at her antics. Albeit she sure was glad for this instead of the fox running off… “Right. Anyway, if you mind answering that then what about, since when have you stayed here, in this place? You seemed pretty familiar with it and I still remember your offer yesterday.” She scowled a bit at that, even though she felt she could trust the fox with that, she felt it was better if she still continued to try after all.

“It’s still open.” The fox started up, smiling and looking at her with some sort of hope that she would accept it. “It’ll certainly be faster than all this stumbling around and getting lost.”

Helen shook her head again, mouth pursed while the fox continued to try pushing her to accept her to lead the hunter. A few times, she felt like her attention seemed to waver, her mind barely registering the words Yoshika said.  _ Yeah right, next I’ll let my prey tell me when to shoot them. _ She snorted a little, the thought of a bird speaking and telling her a little amusing. “Anyway, no is no.” She paused slightly, and Yoshika took that chance to give her a plaintive look and Helen couldn’t help it, “... Alright, if I change my mind I’ll tell you.”

It was when they walked a little more that Helen realized how Yoshika managed to somehow push her attention to something else. Resisting her urge to facepalm and letting loose a groan, she stared at the Mamono, trying to see why the fox seemed to refuse answering. But the way she did it certainly imply she wanted to answer in some ways though.

Frowning, Helen tried to think over what had happened and tried to see how she could have managed to get the answer she wanted. It was a little frustrating how easily Yoshika pulled her attention away from what she originally wanted and ended up doing what the fox wished her to. Made her feel like she was the one under control and not Yoshika but that was a silly thought for sure.

At least today ended without much fanfare even if Helen didn’t manage to get anything important beyond a good rapport, which was good nonetheless. Sitting down near Yoshika, she barely realized that the fire seemed to already lit, and her body strangely didn’t feel tired at all. But she couldn’t think of those for too long as her eyes slid over naturally to the fox’s own, those golden eyes seemingly pulling her like iron to a magnet.

The already wavering forest seemed to melt away, and Helen let out a soft sigh, relaxing on her seat- just listening to the words that came out of Yoshika’s mouth. She didn’t need to really think, just enough that she could focus and understand what was being said before just letting them out of her conscious mind and then let her unconscious handle things.

Words continued to pour into her malleable mind, shaping, molding it into what Yoshika wished her to. Even what she felt in the real world, of how her wrists were tied together even if no ropes came close on it. She only knew how it felt from the rope felt against her palm while she tied it around Yoshika and it felt the same way on her wrists now. Rough and yet tough, refusing to budge no matter how much she tried, which wasn’t much. Then there was the collar, the leather comfortable against her neck. She didn’t try to fight it, just relaxing and believing as the fox continued to give her slight praises all the while saying how aroused and open she was…

And so, heat rose within her body, just obediently following what Yoshika wanted.

* * *

Another morning and Helen yawned as she stood up, stretching her body slightly to shake off some of the aches she was feeling. Not too much, luckily. But enough that she ended up taking note how the slight pain focused on her wrist and neck, and even though she rubbed them a little, there was no sign of whatever might be the cause. Perhaps she just laid down the wrong way, made sense considering she was sleeping in the forest without any proper bed.

Or maybe something happened yesterday. Frowning, she closed her eyes and tried to give her memories a prod. There should be something, she… was sure that she was talking with Yoshika. A conversation about various inane and relaxing things, but she felt like there was more. The more she thought about it, the more she was certain there were words just hovering at the edge of her memory, something she could grasp if only she could focus slightly more.

“What got you thinking so hard this early in the morning?” Yoshika’s cheerful voice cut in, and any thread of possibilities seemingly broke as she whirled around, looking at the fox that still grinned innocently. “Come on, you are being unusually slow today.”

Even Helen wasn’t certain what she was thinking, the thoughts no longer there if she tried to focus. A feeling of uncertainty rose over her, her memories not giving any clear reason on why she was focusing on it. It certainly didn’t seem to be terribly important. The few things she remembered was how much fun she had talking with Yoshika yesterday, so much so that for a few seconds, a terrible thought ran through her mind. Something she shouldn’t have. That perhaps she could just stay, take off that collar and- Helen shook her head roughly. That was very stupid thought and she shouldn’t entertain it even for a second more. Clenching her jaw tightly, Helen just continued to pack up the few things, determined to just ignore the words and how close the fox was with her. So close that she could feel the slight warmth and even the tails occasionally brushed against her.

“Before we walk again, just let me lead the walk. You know that will be easier since you have been getting lost.” Yoshika told her, maybe a bit sharp but she was giving Helen a concerned look. Gentleness mixed in as well as the fox touched her arm, and she felt disconcerted for a moment; a small feeling where she didn’t want to be touched, especially by a Mamono flaring but it was easily suppressed.

What Yoshika said made sense though, no matter how much she wanted to refuse. It had been around two or three days and they weren’t getting any closer to the river she was aiming, or getting out of the forest at all. They might have just been walking around in the same area over and over again, treading the same path without knowing they did it. “I- Alright.” She muttered with a slight frown on her face, not liking that she finally agreed on that course of action no matter how much it seemed to be the only right choice offered. Refusal would just lead itself to be another day of chatter and hunting. Besides, this meant Helen could also see if the fox would truly follow her own words.

A satisfied smile spread over the fox’s face, with Helen finally noticing the slight tension on Yoshika’s shoulder was missing, and the tails seemed to sway just slightly harder than normal.

Helen herself felt her own mood uplifting, her body relaxing as well while she followed behind the fox. Just a few steps back that ensured she could follow her without problem but still not too close. It helped that this distance meant she had a good view of the fox’s body. She wasn’t sure why it drew her attention so much but with each step Yoshika took, she could see how there was a slight sway that really accentuates the curves on the fox’s body. How the tails moved in such a way it drew her attention to where her dress slightly slipped and she could see the slight hint of skin-

Her mouth felt so dry all of the sudden, coupled with the slight warmth she was feeling in her core. She wanted to keep staring, to look much closer than what she currently had. Perhaps she could even untie the ropes on her body, even though those were making emphasis on certain parts of Yoshika’s body. The one that she could only see when she turned around slightly, checking that Helen was still following and not lost anywhere. Every time the fox looked, Helen could feel her heartbeat went even so fast and how her face felt really hot. Then there was the matter of the collar, she knew she felt a little something about it, a little wish to take it off Yoshika’s neck and- she did another gulp, pushing away the tempting imagination that popped in her mind.

She was being stupid and should stop thinking for a bit. At least how Yoshika moved her body definitely helped to distract her, and the heat that rose the more she looked also did its job. Her feet just continued to follow where the fox decided, her eyes not taking note of where they were going. The more she followed, the easier it became and the harder it was to question why she was following and not leading. But Yoshika did tell her to just follow and it was easier- she blinked a bit, pressing her hips together a little.

In the end, with all the distraction, she barely realized that the sun had set until Yoshika stopped before turning around, “Alright, today is a good day… at this rate we’ll be out of this forest in a few days. You should have asked me since when I first offered.”

Helen felt a frown forming on her face, the words ringing true in her ears but… there was something she couldn’t shake off. Yoshika not moving except for her tails probably helped too, but Helen realized slowly that she was letting Yoshika lead without much trouble and she actually was believing her. But trusting the fox felt like it was the right move, especially since they finally made some progress.

Dazedly, she finished her meal mechanically all the while listening to Yoshika talking next to her, the fox’s shoulder pressed against her own. While uncertainty lingered in her mind, what with the words whispered seemingly something she couldn’t remember even if she understood, she still felt her eyelids drooping, slowly closing as she felt the warmth of Yoshika all around her.

Her memories were a blur after, but she half remembered how she was pushed down towards the ground, the grass thick and ticklish against her back. The soft fur of Yoshika’s tail surrounded her with softness and warmth, the fox staying on top of her, gently touching Helen’s body and stoking the heat in her stomach into an even higher level. But it stayed that way, the caress stopping whenever it got too high, but coming back once it lowered down enough and Helen was unable to do anything except letting the fox do what she wanted.

* * *

A few days had passed since Helen allowed the fox to lead the way and it didn’t feel like they were getting any closer to getting out of the forest. She knew she should ask the fox about it, after all she had said that it shouldn’t take too long but every time she thought of doing that she clamped her mouth and stayed silent. It didn’t seem right to question her. There was also another matter of her… dreams. If she could call them dreams anyway.

They felt real even though her memories of the events were hazy. But surely she would remember it clearer if they happened. Looking back towards Yoshika, she frowned, doubting the chain of events. She couldn’t believe she would do those things to the fox, or let Yoshika do what she did. All of the touch and caress, being tied up- Blood rushed to her cheeks. To be honest, those thoughts reminded her how she felt wrong to see Yoshika tied up and collared now. That perhaps it should be her instead.

Helen shook her head quickly at that thought, embarrassed at the fact she thought of it. She really needed to stop this, those collars and ropes weren’t sexy and she had to do it to Yoshika for suppressing the magic. All these thoughts probably popped up because she had stayed in this forest for too long and only had the fox for company. She should be fine once she comes back to the city.

Nodding slightly in that belief, she tried to push her current feelings away. How hot her body was all the while she walked with the fox. It distracted her, kept pushing her to just pay attention to how the fox moved, to look more than the little skin she managed to see. Perhaps she could ask the fox to remove that outfit, to let her finally see the full naked body- Helen blushed even harder. Her thoughts were getting worse and she couldn’t find it in herself to really go against it. Why did her thoughts keep going back to sex anyway? She wasn’t an animal in heat that needed it after all. But no matter how much she tried to relax down, the moment the fox came back to her sight, any resolve she had just crumbled to dust. Yoshika looked too good, too alluring to be fought.

“Alright, we are out of that confusing part and back to the normal forest.” A sudden declaration came out of Yoshika, making Helen jolt and looked at her in attention. Trying her best to not look like she didn’t spend her time following just daydreaming of how the fox would look like if she slowly undressed, showing the hunter how her body was. “Should have let me lead from the start, you made this hopelessly long.”

“Um.” Helen opened her mouth, trying to disagree and could only close her mouth again. The fox’s words rang true, and any of her thoughts that pointed to the fox being wrong couldn’t be dredged up. She should just be glad that the fox was kind enough to do this, otherwise who knew how long they would have spent within the forest.

But now this meant it was almost time to leave the forest then they would be back in the city. The place where she would give Yoshika to the noble and gain more money than she thought she would ever hold. By now she knew it was wrong to do that. To do the same thing as slavers, but instead of selling humans, she sold a Mamono. Perhaps that was forgivable in some parts. After all, Mamono wasn’t a human, just an animal disguised as a human. The same argument she had made just a few days ago. But after all her talk with Yoshika, it was hard to cling to that belief. There was no difference between them, beyond those animal ears and tails. Maybe she could count the ability to change her looks into animals, but there was no guarantee that humans couldn’t do the same thing. So that didn’t count.

Letting out a sigh, she massaged the side of her head a little, feeling tired from all of her thoughts. She had no choice anyway, and even though Yoshika seemed to realize that Helen barely paid attention when they made camp, the fox didn’t try to talk too much. Just little things she didn’t need to pay attention to, maybe a little affirmative sounds to show that she heard something, but she was glad for it.

It made resting up that night easier, just sitting close to the fire and let her eyes close while the smooth tone of Yoshika’s continued in her ears. The way Yoshika spoke continued to make her body relaxed even as Helen stayed within that crevice of sleep and wakefulness.

The dream, or perhaps it was better to say the scene she was in the previous night came back once more.

Her wrists were tied together with a rope, as tight and unyielding as before. The collar was comfortable against her neck. These two were the constant variables that always appeared, but now she felt something else. The heat seemed to surge up within her body, making the already fuzzy mind of hers even foggier and hazier. It meant she wanted this to happen, to be tied up, dominated and- no. No she didn’t want that… It was wrong. But she couldn’t deny the arousal happening on her body, as well as realizing how wet her body was.

Fingers and tails caressed and flitted through her skin, teasing and giving her just the slightest feeling that she wanted more. More touches, especially where it would stoke up the fire building in her stomach. “Give yourself up to me, little hunter.” The fox whispered next to her ears, making Helen inhale sharply, her body jerking away a little.

Her ears felt sensitive even without the fox giving it a nibble. But even if doing that sent her feeling weak in the knees, she could only shake her head, refusing what the fox said. “No… I-I refuse.” She whispered, trying to deny even though her body wanted her to. But she had a feeling accepting here would mean something irreversible. Even if this whole thing was a dream, even though trying to wake herself up just made her hold even hazier, harder to get a firmer grip.

This dream, this scene, or whatever it was wouldn’t let her go. Instead Yoshika leaned closer, her smell sharp and wild and everywhere and there was no way to get away from it. “Give up, that’s the only way.” Her whispers were sweet, promising her all sorts of wonderful things.

But she shook her head again. No, she couldn’t accept. This time though, instead of nothing happening, she could feel her ankles tied together.

“Everytime you refuse, you’ll be tied up more and more… but maybe that’s what you wished.” Gentle and sweet, and Helen didn’t know what to answer except giving another shake.

The binding continued towards her calf. Patiently, the fox continued to tell her to give up, but Helen was only able to keep refusing. With each refusal, the binding continued. Knees, hips, her body, a blindfold- everything was tied up, except her mouth. It would be easy to do what was demanded of her, but she couldn’t give up; and so she clung against it, to just keep refusing and not listening.

Perhaps she would give up in the future, but not right now.

* * *

Awakening brought feelings she didn’t want to recognize straight to her attention. The heat, arousal, and the most damning of all, the wetness that came accompanied by those two. Shakily, Helen covered her eyes with her palm even if it just plunged herself deeper into the darkness. The sun hadn’t raised after all. It didn’t help that doing so also made the desire, the want within her to be brought to the forefront of her mind and made her hand twitch slightly, wanting her to move it there. She shook her head slightly, trying to focus on her breathing.

A wind rustled the leaves on the trees, reminding and telling her that she was still within the forest. Sound of animals and insects joined in, as well as the crackle of fire and the sound of sticks fed into the fire. The fox was already awake, reminding Helen a little of what had happened at the dream. A dream that felt so real but still one. With redness in her cheeks, Helen knew that she should ignore the heat and the memories to close her eyes again. Just forcing herself to sleep and perhaps next time she woke up this heat would have passed and she could follow Yoshika again.

The thought of following the fox Mamono made her cheeks flush as she remembered the body, the way Yoshika talked and let out a teasing smile. She had to be doing those intentionally, but Helen couldn’t find it in herself to really say anything. Her mouth felt dry the more her mind thought of the curves, the glint of skin- Helen jerked her hand away from where she wanted to plunge it to, the place where she wanted to just start stroking and touching until all she could think was the fox.

_ Just a little will be fine, right? _

Her fingers spread slightly, letting her see without making it obvious. Yoshika was sitting near the fire, a slight smile spread across her beautiful face while her hand occasionally moved to put more branches whenever the fire seemed about to die. She looked… relaxed, even her tails seemed to just sway slightly behind her, not pulling her attention like usual but just following the winds that blew within the forest. Her instincts were telling her that Yoshika’s state was different between when Helen was awake and talking with her and when she slept without the fox knowing. Then there was the collar and ropes, which while still important to bind the fox, all Helen could think was how it would be better if they were no longer there. To free Yoshika from everything that bound her down… The thought stuck to her mind.

Gulping down the saliva that pooled in her mouth, Helen finally stood up. Yoshika was quick to notice, her head immediately tilted up as she looked towards the hunter, eyes widened in surprise before her face smoothed up, neutral with just a flicker of a smile. Helen didn’t move, just standing still as the fox stood up, walking closer to Helen. That slight smile grew to a full-blown smirk as Yoshika reached Helen and sniffed the air.

The fox knew, and Helen froze slightly before she realized the implications. That made her back away for each step the fox took- but it didn’t take long until her back hit something solid. A tree. Maybe she should have run off, but that didn’t feel like an option she could take. Her feet stayed beneath her, refusing to move even as she tried to back off further, the only thing that she could move seemed to be her upper body as she tilted them away. It was hard to do so, with Yoshika looming even closer.

She could try to electrocute the fox with this distance. They were so close that the fox’s body was pressed against hers, sandwiching her with the tree behind. It would just be so, so easy to let her magic loose. But the thought of doing such a thing to the fox felt completely wrong in her mind. What she could think instead was the dreams she had previous night, how the fox was on top of her. Dominating and collaring her. The fox was more powerful and this was the right position for Helen, to be dominated and letting Yoshika to do whatever she wanted. But that collar was still there, around the fox’s neck and that didn’t fit with her memories. Powerful ones, the one that would dominate her shouldn’t be tied up. To be collared. And yet, Yoshika was collared and bound. So she couldn’t be that strong… But her mind couldn’t reconcile that thought, because it was a fact that the fox was powerful.

Her thoughts were all cut off when the fox speak, the hunter immediately paying attention and not caring about anything else. “You are aroused, aren’t you? Your body is in heat, wanting- no, demanding its needs to be met. Isn’t this quite the shameful reaction, hmmm?” Yoshika’s head leaned closer, whispering next to Helen’s ear, her breath tickling it slightly.

Helen opened her mouth, her first thoughts immediately turning to denying it. Because this was just a normal thing, humans’ bodies could be in a state of arousal without reason. Surely this wasn’t because she looked at Yoshika’s body, and then… and then finding them to be more than adequate to make her aroused. That the way Yoshika acted just made her crave the fox’s touch even more. Her body, her way of talking and acting, all of them combined into an alluring being. One that Helen was sure if Yoshika wasn’t a fox Mamono, would leave her in a puddle of want- even though she was already that right now. But Yoshika was a Mamono, and that meant what she was feeling right now was…

Her mind felt sluggish as she tried to dredge up what was the problem with Yoshika’s species. Not the fox part, the Mamono part. The fantastical beings that looked like humans but not. Something made them differ from humans, something that she knew she should think of before she even started this job and by now it was too late.

A gentle tug on her sleeve and Helen automatically looked up- Yoshika’s golden eyes filled her vision. They smolder with something, deep and powerful and made her stomach tighten in anticipation, but Helen couldn’t think on what that was for too long. The main focus was primarily on how much the eyes were pulling her attention, forcing her to keep looking as her body shuddered slightly. “Keep looking, let them pull you deeper and deeper…” Yoshika’s voice was a murmur, soft and calm and Helen followed the order.

That gave her a soft, contented feeling as she kept looking. Uncertain of what she should look but noticing how the gold wasn’t completely perfect. Flecks of dark brown also existed there, the slight bump and creases that always existed in another person’s eyes… all of them pulled at her, demanding her to only look there and not listen to whatever else Yoshika was saying. After all she could trust the fox, believe in everything she had said, and so there was no reason for her to remember anything. She could just let the words pass through and Yoshika would take care of everything.

Another whisper, and Helen immediately started to take off her bottom, faintly noticing how wet her underwear was before a soft command made that thought slide away. No need to take notice of them until Yoshika told her to, just stare and obediently spread her legs so the fox had easier access. The only things she could feel and think was the gentle touches everywhere, even underneath her shirt. They just keep coming, constantly without respite and she moaned softly, no more thoughts of escaping stuck in her mind. Just the thought of how to keep still because that was what Yoshika wanted right now.

“I know you wanted to submit to me, to be a good girl, hm?” The fox murmured, this time her voice so clear and hooked itself within Helen’s mind. It didn’t take heed of what the hunter wished, even as she shook her head and tried to push the thought of  _ being good _ away from her mind. It wasn’t easy to keep refusing, each time she shook her head merely making Yoshika’s eyes look at her in pity as the hands, the tails continued to move and distract Helen’s mind. “So, so stubborn…”

Satisfaction that she managed to fight was immediately swamped away when she gave it just a little thought, a soft whimper escaping her mouth as she shivered, watching the fox carefully which brought her attention back to those eyes- her breath hitched, the same moment that Yoshika leaned forward and kissed her lips. Hard and insistent, all the while Helen found her thoughts running towards the usual things. Of how beautiful and commanding Yoshika was. She let out a soft sigh, opening her mouth obediently as Yoshika’s tongue explored within her mouth, their saliva intermingling for a while.

Grin spread across the fox’s face when she backed away a bit, satisfaction glinting within those mischievous eyes. “Good girl.” She praised, the words sending warm feelings throughout Helen’s body, making her close her eyes as she shuddered from the pleasant feelings once more. “And a good girl deserves to be rewarded.”

Nothing happened just for a bit until Helen nearly jumped at the feel of tongue down there, sending a jolt of pleasure through her whole body. The scent of her own arousal combined with Yoshika’s own filled her sense of smell. She wanted this, it was so obvious as she tried to press down onto Yoshika down there. More, she desired for more pleasure to be given to her. Her hands twitched slightly on the side, wanting to move and do something but she knew that Yoshika hadn’t given another command for her to do, and so she had to keep them still. Wishes of her own didn’t matter, but the fox’s… those were what mattered.

Each lick seemed to send another spark of pleasure, sending Helen’s mind deeper and deeper into the fog. It made it even harder to think, to just focus on the constant feeling of heat. Her own knees were trembling with effort to keep herself standing, she wanted to lower herself down, to let the tongue reach even deeper- but even right now it already moved expertly, playing with her labia, the inner folds and even occasionally against her clit.

Soft mews escaped her mouth, her body swaying as her arousal built steadily. Her feet moved slightly, widening and letting Yoshika be able to move easier underneath her. Helen knew that she should have stopped it but unable to stop herself from trying to ensure the tongue to go even deeper.

Even the mewl of pleasure started to change to pants and moans as her stomach tightened, the tongue still moving expertly within her. It was hard to take control of her thoughts, her body wanting nothing except to get the release from this steady wave that eroded any control she had.

It didn’t take long, another lick and suck towards the clitoris and then Helen couldn’t think. Her body shuddering softly as quim leaked out, the fox licking the rest of it before Helen could hear the soft rustle of her outfit- Yoshika standing up, presumably. “Open your eyes, hunter.” The command was soft but Helen still hurried in it, her eyes immediately opening as she looked up towards the fox. “Now… what do you feel?”

That was an innocent question, but that seemed to be a trigger within Helen’s mind. If previously she was glad for everything that just happened and happy with following the fox’s command… the feelings that rose within her right now was the complete opposite. Helen opened her mouth, wanting to tell off the fox, her cheeks still flushed red from all the activities she had done. That the fox had forced her to do but was that ‘forcing’? But what was done to her had to be wrong. It couldn’t be right. There was no way it could be that. Helen wanted to deny everything that just happened, but Yoshika stood there in front of her. Holding her body, gently but firmly and Helen couldn’t do it. She couldn’t bury her head into the soil and rejected everything but… But that meant she had to accept what she had done.

“I… I…” Helen couldn’t articulate the right words, but that seemed to be acceptable to the fox. The hunter’s mind just felt like it just shattered and the pieces all didn’t fit what she wished it to be. All she could do right now was trying to make sense of what had happened, to regain some of her own thoughts even if her mind felt like it was rebelling.

The only thing she could hold onto was the fact that Yoshika was there, holding her. The fox was solid,  _ there  _ and while Helen knew that she probably would regret it- the only thing that she could hold onto. Something she would lean on to prop herself up as she tried to feel normal back. Because everything that happened this past few days had to be wrong, especially with her feelings to the fox.

Both of them didn’t move around that day, just resting and Helen feeling confused and reeling from everything that had happened. Occasionally, Yoshika would talk, her words sweet and so persuasive that it was easy to just keep listening… It was easier, and slowly, Helen relaxed. Even if she had pulled herself out of the pattern, it had formed itself into a groove within her mind. Fighting was futile.

* * *

She wasn’t lying down. Instead, she was sitting on the fox’s lap with warmth surrounding her. A hand draped over her waist possessively, then the other one curled around her shoulder. Her face against the crook of her neck comfortably with fluff from the tail surrounding her every which way. It was comfortable and threatened to send Helen back to slumber.

This situation reminded her of the constant dream she had though. Those dreams that plagued her every night ever since she had collared the fox. But were those really dreams? She couldn’t find any certainty no matter how she wracked her brain through what had happened. All she knew was that she felt they were real during what was happening, then in the morning… they felt misty, unreal. Just something her unconsciousness dreamed up as she slept.

Helen let her eyes drift a bit, her mind still in chaos from what she had done yesterday. How could she have let the fox control her like that… she had been so obedient and happy following the orders too. Shuddering, she shook her head before trying to push Yoshika away. Keynote, try. Just moments before she managed to truly do the deed, Helen was reminded of what had constantly happened in her dreams. There was no use to try pushing the fox, and to do so meant she would… she couldn’t find the right word. But she knew it was a bad idea.

But even that little movement, just that slightest touch- golden eyes opened, and Helen froze as she stared at the yawning Mamono. “You awoke early this time.” Yoshika commented, pulling Helen into the embrace a bit tighter before she was released, a predatory grin spreading across the fox’s face. Helen’s heart started to pound faster- whether it was fear or anticipation she didn’t know. What she knew was that any chances she had before was completely gone. Yoshika might still be collared right now, but Helen knew that deep down, the fox was completely in control. The grin spread a smidge wider as the fox caressed Helen’s cheek with a tail, “Now, untie the ropes and give them to me.”

Her hands moved immediately, going onto the knots she had painstakingly made and undo them. Each time she did so, a jolt of pleasure seemingly went through her body, making her shudder as she tried to press her legs together instinctively. It felt good to follow, but Helen still could barely remember her mission. She shouldn’t be doing this, she should move. Most of the time, she couldn’t do anything except just continuing, her hand jerking a little but that wasn’t a problem considering untying the knots didn’t need fine movements. But occasionally, she managed to still her hand, preventing another knot to be undone and that was when a low growl emanated from Yoshika’s mouth. Shivers immediately ran down her spines, that few seconds of stillness was no use as her hands moved faster, her own heart feeling like something cold was squeezing it.

It didn’t take long before Yoshika’s binding was all gone, and with that- it felt like something was pressing down on her, as if gravity had multiplied in its power. Helen could still ensure that she was standing straight up but it wasn’t easy. Her feet were trembling with each moment that passed, but Yoshika just stretched herself languidly. Showing off that voluptuous body as she nodded in satisfaction. “Good, good. Now for the collar, pet.”

That praise sent an especially strong jolt of pleasure, sharp and piercing from within her. The feeling felt as if a finger had just brushed against that special spot within her, and it also made Helen close her eyes as she let loose a soft moan of pleasure. Her sex had continued to moisten, and she knew it would be easy to follow and obey Yoshika’s words. It would be better, easier, and far, far more pleasurable. Her hands lifted up, slowly moving towards the collar on the fox’s neck.

_ Just open that buckle. _

She knew that would be easy. There was no lock or other things that might possibly prevent her from opening it, or making her jolt from this control Yoshika had on her. Her fingers touched the leather, it felt as smooth and warm as she remembered it being. She needed to stop her hands, her fingers from doing more but they just keep moving. Slowly pushing the leather, just opening and unbuckling the thing. It didn’t take long before she managed to do it, her hand pulling down the collar, her eyes seeing the unblemished skin of Yoshika’s neck. Helen gulped at the sight, all the while her hand shook as she handed the collar over.

With that done, the magic power that surrounded them seemed to still for a moment, before they all twisted and gathered- all of them flowing and converging around Yoshika. This time, Helen felt like her throat clogged up as she watched the intensity of the power. They were so strong the Mamono shimmered, as if she was on top of an intense heat, but no, this wasn’t like a case of fire. This was just a statement of the true power of the Mamono.

“A few days of them being forcibly suppressed, usually they won’t be as wild as this. So…” Yoshika then looked towards Helen, her eyes seemingly glowing from within and immediately pulled Helen’s attention. The magic that felt like it was suppressing her felt different now, she felt… as if they were surrounding her gently. Heat and warmth both pressed down on her, slowly making Helen kneeling on the ground. She still looked up into Yoshika’s gaze, her mind felt sluggish, as if they were wrapped in cotton. “Good girl, now stay like that.”

More warm feelings pooled in Helen’s stomach as she followed the order, with each one she obeyed, the wetter she had become. But when Yoshika leaned down, her hand holding the collar- Helen forced her body to freeze. She wanted to look down, but Yoshika had ordered her to stay the same, and so she did. Her body trembled slightly with the effort to do so, there were so many conflicting feelings she had to suppress. The want to move her hands, to plunge her fingers deep into her, to beg towards Yoshika- but all of those thoughts were cut off as the collar snapped shut.

If before the feeling of Yoshika’s magic was merely as if the gravity intensified, with Helen’s magic suppressed, they became so heavy that she felt lucky that she had knelt down. The pressure she was feeling right now was so strong that she didn’t think she could keep standing. Then there was the matter of how uncomfortable it was, how her magic seemed to rumble beneath her skin. Any effort to try anything, pushing them out, using bare amounts of magic- none of them managed to succeed. They all met with incredible resistance, as if her own skin had become a prison.

Not to count that Helen herself only had an average amount of magic power, lower end of the scale at that. This was only a guess, but she had a feeling that the more magic power someone has, the more uncomfortable this process became. That meant… Helen still looked at the fox, at the powerful pressure she was still unleashing even now. Yoshika just gazed back, a smirk still adorning her face as she gently ran her hand through Helen’s short hair. 

“You look good like this.”

A flush appeared over Helen’s cheeks at those words, the hunter immediately looking down and away. For a while, nothing else happened. Just the Mamono patting the hunter condescendingly, with her slightly squirming in place, uncertain on what she should do. Occasionally, she did try to stand up but Yoshika immediately stopped her pats then. Her hand stayed on top of Helen’s head, just pressuring her to immediately lower herself once more and continued to kneel. The demand was clear, she was to do nothing else until the command was given.

“Give me your hands.” The order came suddenly, sharp and demanding. Helen immediately followed, gulping her saliva down. Her mouth felt like it was dry as the rope was tied expertly around her wrist, Yoshika seemingly understanding how to make complicated knots that still felt comfortable and yet wouldn’t be easy for her to squirm out of. The tight feeling of her magic being pressed down also became stronger with each loop. But at the same time… Helen couldn’t deny that the fact she was obeying, collared, being bound- she felt so, so wet from all of those actions. There was a desire curling within her stomach, something she wanted to beg but she hadn’t dared to voice it out… yet. “Good girl. Very good.”

Soft mewling of desire came out of Helen’s mouth, her body shuddering from the sheer pleasure that ran through her body at that praise. She wanted something so much, something that only Yoshika could give. “Please…” The word slipped out, even if she wasn’t sure what she wanted yet.

When she looked up once more, Helen felt like her heart was going to stop at the sheer predatory delight on Yoshika’s face. Sharp canine poked out of her lips as the fox pulled her up, easily holding her up with one hand as Yoshika kissed her again. This time Helen didn’t need any prompting and immediately opened her mouth, accepting the tongue that just dominated her. Yoshika’s hands weren’t idle either, they were moving, touching and teasing everywhere. Gentle scratch on her hips and waist, and Yoshika even played on her breast, making Helen gasp and moan even as the Mamono continued to explore leisurely.

But throughout it all, Yoshika was careful to only tease and play. None of her touches ever get close to where Helen wanted. The fox then pulled away from the kiss, a string of saliva connecting their mouths. Blood rushed quickly to Helen’s cheek, the hunter immediately looking away in embarrassment, breaking that slight connection they had. But that didn’t matter, Helen knew that the other connection- whatever Yoshika did to her was still there, flickering in her mind. All of these were all just priming her, preparing her for what the fox wanted off her.

“Now, do tell me what you want, pet. You begged, but it’s not detailed enough. Tell me or this will continue.” Yoshika murmured, licking her lips as the fox looked down at Yoshika, her tails moving in an excited manner behind her. “Unless you wanted me to continue this?”

“N-no!” Helen stuttered out, barely managing to regain her voice as she looked into Yoshika’s eyes, a bit of panic tingeing her words. “I… please…” She murmured, closing her eyes with her fists clenched. She had to continue her words but what did she wanted? Her sex still continued to be wet, demanding, wanting to be filled. Could Yoshika even do that? She had no idea but… Slowly, she wetted her lips, trying to articulate the best ways to word it out. “Please fuck me.” She finally whispered, her voice a little hoarse from how nervous she had become. There were so many ways Yoshika could reply to that, from accepting to refusing.

Delight seemed to fill the fox’s eyes though, a dangerous smile spreading across her face. The fox ears on top of her head pricked up in attention, even the tails that moved freely behind her seemed to freeze for a bit before moving again. “Then suck my fingers.”

At once, Helen opened her mouth, obediently letting Yoshika put the digits into it. But as she focused on licking, sucking each one to ensure they were coated with her saliva, Yoshika did other things. Biting on Helen’s earlobe, her collarbone, continuing to touch and tease- each of those combined to make her even wetter. Fogging her mind with arousal and making her knees so weak that she had to let Yoshika support her body.

It didn’t take long before the fingers were all properly coated, and Helen could see how they shone with saliva when Yoshika pulled it out of her mouth with a wet sound. “Good job, pet. Now spread your legs.”

Another order Helen was more than happy to follow, her body trembling in anticipation as she closed her eyes- then it was in. One at first, just slow movement within, making Helen letting out soft whimpers. Occasionally, the fox moved her hand so that the heel of her palm met her clit, making Helen moaned even louder from the sensation.

The other digits slowly followed, sending more and more jolt of pleasure from down there. She was so, so wet. Her own feet spread even wider without any prompting, fueled by her desire to let Yoshika fucked her even easier. So she could gain even more pleasure. The pressure in her stomach had continued to build the more Yoshika played down there, touching and caressing the folds and the inner side.

White-hot pleasure filled her mind. Yoshika had found the area, the only place where it would continue to send this much mind-melting goodness. Helen couldn’t help it, she could only moan as Yoshika continued to fingerfuck her mercilessly, holding her in position while her fingers moved expertly within her. Even touching that place at the right moment that only made her even more sensitive to any other movement.

Before long, the pressure mounted. She was on the edge. Almost there- another brush and Helen went over it. Her whole body shook, her mouth open as she came, the slightest liquid of quim slipping out of her sex, dripping to the ground.

Tiredness was quick to slip into her limbs as Helen collapsed onto Yoshika’s hold, the fox gently running her other hand through her hair. “Surely you aren’t tired, we still have hours~” Yoshika murmured with delight coloring her words as she lifted Helen up, pushing her against the tree.

Helen knew that she wanted to rest, but she also had no more strength to try pushing the Mamono away. All she could do was stand there, staring as Yoshika continued her ministrations. Pleasure continued to make waves upon her, wearying down any defense in her mind.

In the end of this all, Helen knew she would become Yoshika’s.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading the story, I hope you really enjoy it! If you ever want to contact me, or just want to help me in some shape or form so I can pump out more lewd works, just take a look at my twitter :)
> 
> https://twitter.com/FennyWrites


	4. Epilogue

The hustle and bustle of Dragon’s Tooth was familiar to Helen’s senses now. After her report that she failed the quest, Arya had helped and found her some requests that she could finish quickly to raise some funds. Then she came here more often in thanks and they kind of hit it off as good friends. It was nice to be one, especially since doing that meant she could occasionally pick some requests before it was put up on the board. Or to stave off suspicions, just conveniently be there the moment Arya put up new requests.

Helen couldn’t really think of Karl as friends though, even if he still tried to talk with her and Arya both. For the hunter, she still had some reservations especially remembering the way he acted, for Arya… she was a little surprised, but she never really asked why. Nonetheless, the two of them were being frosty- a bit unlike how they were when she first saw them.

Peeking towards the receptionist deck, she gave a brief consideration if she should ask. It had been weeks and while Helen didn’t like to be seen as being meddlesome, this had become a worrying matter. Not to count that while there were still a lot of people eating and socializing here, most of them are regulars that she believed wouldn’t mind if someone distracted Arya for a bit. Especially if it fixed that little problem with Karl.

But the moment she stood up, Arya also did the same thing. For a moment, Helen thought that the woman had known what she wanted to talk about and was about to come to her instead of the other way around. Then Helen noticed the paper held in her hand, and the fact she was walking towards the job board…

Letting loose a sigh, Helen walked towards the board as well. Before she could talk to Arya though, her eyes glanced at what was the new job there and she inhaled sharply. Memories of what happened resurfaced to the forefront of her mind. Of her meeting the fox within that clearing at that forest. “Defeating” the fox. The journey back and then… Her cheeks reddened as she remembered what happened at the end. Even her hips pressed together slightly, but Helen still tried her best to not have her reactions too obvious. She didn’t want anyone to get the wrong idea, even if people probably would guess she was drunk before guessing the truth if they saw her. Flushed cheeks and slight tremor, then added the fact that she was in a tavern. Easy mistake to make if they didn’t know the things Yoshika had added and changed.

It was too bad that not everyone had gotten Yoshika’s attention, but that made the fact she was one of Yoshika’s even better. One of the few people that got her personal attention… Helen let her eyes shut for a bit, her body shivered even more as her memories got even clearer. They were accompanied with an order as well- triggered by the job’s existence no doubt.

Cancelling her plan to pick a request, she instead turned and paid Arya for the food and drink with a smile before leaving the tavern quickly. She had a place to go and it would be better for her if she did it as quickly as possible. Her attention completely narrowed so that she only gave her attention to what would be needed to reach where the order wanted her to be. Various roads were passed in the blink of an eye, even the soldiers that stood guard between noble’s area and the peasants were walked through without much problem. Maybe Armmere had handled the matter…? She had no idea, but that question slid away from her mind quickly. It was of no importance, especially since there was only one thing she had to go towards.

It didn’t take long before she arrived near the noble mansion, the building seemed to be the same as she previously had seen. Still as majestic with the garden outside. Even the guard standing outside of the gate was the same as the one that checked her that day. But instead of walking through the front door, Helen sneaked to the right. Her feet brought her towards an unassuming wall where the one of the pillars that signalled the corner of the garden met the wall that divided the noble’s area from below.

The wall stood in front of her, looking so real that Helen had a feeling if she touched them, all she would feel was the roughness of the bricks that made the wall. But her mind was prodding her, telling her that she needed to go forward, that the only way to get to where she wanted was through here.

Gulping to calm the fluttery feeling in her stomach, she closed her eyes and walked forward- certain that at any time, she would meet the cold, hard wall into her face. One step became two, then three and yet she felt nothing against her face. Opening her eyes slowly, she let out a gasp.

What greeted her was a side road, a bit dusty but she could see that it was actually maintained well. No litter around, although she could see a few wildflowers and some weeds. Footprints were also left on the dust, most of them overlapping each other so much that she couldn’t be certain of who or how many had gone through. One thing she could be certain was the fact that there were a lot of people passing through. Whether they passed through at the same time or each of them never saw anyone else, with the only comfort they could gather was how in reality, someone else had to feel the same thing as them. Just standing between the two walls, with their mind hammering on the fact that they had to go forward- into that side door on the side. To just walk forward and open it. That soon she would understand why she was remembering everything and why she came into this place. Back to where she started.

A rueful smile appeared on her face before she shook it off, focusing on opening the door instead. Her hand held the door handle, there was an expectation that something would happen. Perhaps a trap where she would be tied up and helpless until- Helen pinched her hip with her free hand, the sharp pain helping to make her focus back on the current. She pressed on, determined.

The door opened without any creak, opening its way into a hallway full of darkness, not even a single light could be seen. For a moment, fear wormed its way into her heart, telling her to run off now. That this would be her last chance to- but that was a voice she could easily ignore. Just like how she had ignored so many signs during her time within that forest. Her feet continued to bring her body forward, light following her for a bit before the door closed with a whisper behind her, plunging everything into darkness.

Each step she took turned the step after easier to do, the motion smoothing down any resistances she might have. It made sense after all, once she had done it, that meant she wanted to do it. If she wanted to do it, then the voice that told her she needed to stop shouldn’t be listened anymore.

Even without any sort of light, Helen didn’t trip or find any sort of obstacle. Instead, she started to see a little light getting through between the gaps on a wall. The light formed a rectangle shape, and instinctively, she walked faster, her heart hammering inside her ribcage. Anticipation and desire mingled as she finally reached it, her hand probing a little to find the door handle.

_ Almost there… _

Her hand turned the handle, and at once, the smell of musk, arousal and scent of  _ wilderness _ filled her nostril. Her mouth watered the more she let the smell filled her, and her sex, god she felt so wet down there. Then she looked at what was happening within the room, inhaling sharply at the scene.

The familiar swishing golden tails, all nine of them... with golden triangle ears stood in alert on top of the woman’s head. Yoshika was sitting there, in the middle of the room with Armmere just kneeling in front of her, licking and sucking at the fox’s wet snatch. The noble’s face was flushed, her body trembling slightly with her arms tied together at her back. Even with Helen’s untrained eyes, she could see how Armmere’s hips were pressed against each other a little, some liquid already pooled between her knees. Then there was the matter of how there was a collar around Armmere’s neck, the leash that connected to it held within Yoshika’s hand.

For a moment, all Helen could do was stay silent and still, only listening to the constant wet sound of tongue sliding into the moist cunt. Her feet felt like rubber as she kept watching, her eyes unable to move elsewhere as if something petrified her to keep looking and stay. Armmere let out a loud moan when Yoshika pulled on the leash slightly, her body shuddering before she continued her previous action.

“Ah, our guest of honor.” Yoshika’s voice was strong, so powerful that Helen wanted to kneel down so much. She knew that she didn’t deserve to stand when the fox was sitting down. But her body refused to move, the only thing she could do right now was watching and gulping the saliva down whenever it became too much. Then an amused smile spread across the fox’s face before her hand moved, pulling Helen’s attention as she curled the finger. “You know what to do.”

She knew the meaning. Helen immediately knelt down right then and there, feeling muted relief that she no longer had to stand before she slowly moved closer to the fox. When she was finally kneeling next to Armmere, she stilled herself once more, looking down and waiting for the next command to be given.

“Good girl.”

It was the same praise, but it still let her relish the feeling that swelled up from those words. Her hips squeezed together again, Helen knowing with a certainty that her hole down there was completely sopping wet.

“You too, my lovely pet. You can stop for now and play yourself.” Yoshika continued her order, and the licking sound immediately stopped- instead changed into the sound of fingers sloppily getting into a very, very wet pussy. Helen knew it wasn’t any other sound especially when she could hear loud moaning being uttered by Armmere every few seconds. “Look at me, little hunter.”

Helen nearly jumped at the sudden sharp bidding, her head immediately moving to look up, towards the already standing fox. “Good, keep in that position.” Yoshika held a black leather collar on her hand, the silver thread braided on it giving the thing a contrasting look that really caught her eye. Simple and yet beautiful. Helen could only stare at it, enraptured with its magnificence and what it meant.

Slowly, the collar was lowered and Helen’s eyes immediately followed it. She couldn’t take her eyes away, not until she was forced to because it was too low and close to her neck- and it was there, looped around her neck. The leather felt soft against her skin, and its weight was reassuring. She couldn’t help it, “Thank you, Mistress.” The words stumbled out, and even though she wasn’t prompted to do so… she was certain that was what Yoshika- no, Mistress wanted.

“Such an obedient pet.” Yoshika murmured, sending bliss into Helen’s mind. It felt good to obey, even better to be collared and then- Yoshika walked closer, a cuff on her hand. The predatory smirk that spread across the fox’s face was enough to make her cheeks flush even redder, the hunter looking down to the floor. Her throat felt like it was dry as Yoshika easily picked her wrists, turning them around Helen’s back before they were cuffed. “Much better, isn’t it? Tell me what you feel, pet.”

There was not a single bone within her that could even try to resist a straight order like that. “I… I feel honored, Mistress. To be bound and collared by your hands… I give you my deepest gratitude.”

The satisfied smile that came over Mistress’s face made Helen feel… content. This was the right way to be, to obey and make Mistress happy with how good she was. “Good, now… you know what to do little one. Both of you.” Yoshika sat back down, her finger moving and beckoning towards both her and Armmere once more.

Both of them leaned forward, more than happy to worship their Mistress.

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you for reading the story, I hope you really enjoy it! If you ever want to contact me, or just want to help me in some shape or form so I can pump out more lewd works, just take a look at my twitter :)
> 
> https://twitter.com/FennyWrites


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